The second Merseyside derby of the season takes place at Goodison Park on Saturday as Liverpool travel to face Everton. Five league position and twelve points separate the neighbours, with Liverpool currently leading the way in seventh place.
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To gather an insight into the minds of the two sets of fans we asked members of the respective supporters' clubs to share with us their predictions, likely line-ups and players to watch.
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DANIEL WATSON – DUBAI REDS
For many of the Liverpool born Dubai Reds this is the biggest fixture of the season. If we beat the Toffees, the messages are sent to friends and family back home who sit on the wrong side of the fence. Lose, and the phone goes off for a couple of days.
We go into the game as favourites despite being away from home. Our form has been mixed over the last few weeks. We are becoming hard to beat and players are beginning to excel like last season. Sterling and Coutinho are obvious choices for the key player tag in this game but for me it has to be Steve Gerrard! This will be his final derby so he'll want to put in a big performance.
Despite Everton's poor form, the Meryside derby can be a catalyst for a turn in fortune. Liverpool will have to watch out for Mirallas, he is a very influential player on his day and has the potential to make something happen.
That said with the fire in Gerrard's belly, the form of Coutinho and Sterling, combined with the new found solidity at the back provided by Mignolet's upturn in form, Liverpool should pick up the win.
I'm going for a 3-0 victory. Pile the misery on for the Blues and put some pressure on Martinez. Gerrard has to score at some point.
There are rumours of fitness concerns for Lucas and Markovic. Sturridge is unlikely to start the game but almost certain to feature at some stage.
LIVERPOOL LIKELY LINE-UP: Mignolet; Can, Skrtel, Sakho; Markovic, Henderson, Lucas, Moreno; Gerrard, Coutinho; Sterling
LIVERPOOL PLAYER TO WATCH – Emre Can. The German 21 year old, signed in the summer from Bayer Leverkusen, has excelled since becoming a regular for the Reds in November. Strong in defence with a good range of passing, it was his sublime chipped ball to Sterling that finally broke Bolton’s resistance in midweek.
ROSS BURRILL – EVERTON
The 224th Merseyside Derby takes place tonight and, if recent history suggests anything, it will be full of drama, goals and no shortage of yellow or red cards.
Everton go into the fixture a disappointing 12th place in the league, having won just three times since October. Liverpool, meanwhile, have taken 16 of the last 18 points available; add in the fact that Reds star striker Daniel Sturridge has now returned from injury and you’d be forgiven for thinking that Evertonians will be dreading tonight’s match. But as the old cliché goes, form goes out the window in the Derby and the unexpected happens – such as Toffee’s captain Phil Jagielka scoring a last-minute equaliser with a half-volley from 30 yards out to silence the Kop earlier this season.
Goodison Park will no doubt be rocking, especially after ending a six-game winless streak with victory at Crystal Palace last weekend, and with Liverpool having had a tough FA Cup tie at Bolton in midweek, a first Everton Derby win since 2010 feels quite possible for this long-suffering Bluenose!
EVERTON LIKELY LINE-UP: Robles; Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Baines; Besic, Barry; McGeady, Naismith, Mirallas, Lukaku.
EVERTON PLAYER TO WATCH – Muhamed Besic. The young Bosnian international is quickly becoming a cult figure at Goodison with his tenacious, passionate personality winning the hearts of Evertonians. But it’s not just his demeanour that makes him stand out – comfortable on the ball, positionally astute and a strong tackler, he’s making the £4m price-tag look like the bargain of the summer.
Prediction: A 2-1 win with a goal from Lukaku and a pen from Mirallas…
WHERE TO WATCH: The Merseyside Derby is also known as the Friendly Derby, with brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, fathers and sons often going to the game together, but in different colours. The same can be said for Girders on JBR in Dubai where I’ve often shared a beverage or two with a Liverpool Fan whilst watching the game much to my dismay!
