Liverpool, Everton Bring Merseyside Derby to Early FA Cup Clash
It's been less than a month since the last Merseyside derby, but Liverpool and Everton will duke it out once more in a tantalizing FA Cup third-round tie.
The Reds and Blues will want bragging rights and a place in the hat for the next round with victory at Anfield, and both clubs will have different ways of going about securing that vital win.
Here's what you need to know ahead of the crunch clash:
Previous Encounter
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Wayne Rooney's late penalty earned Everton a hard-fought 1-1 draw on 12th December as Liverpool argued against the controversial nature of the visitors' spot kick.
Mohamed Salah's superb solo effort in the first half had handed the hosts the initiative in a game they dominated despite not creating many clear-cut chances.
Dejan Lovren's maddening challenge on Dominic Calvert-Lewin 13 minutes from time, however, proved to be a shot in the foot for the hosts as Rooney dispatched into the net from 12 yards to earn Sam Allardyce's men a fortunate point.
Form
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Liverpool head into this contest in terrific form. Jurgen Klopp's men haven't lost a football match for close to three months, with their last reverse coming in a 4-1 defeat to Spurs in late October.
During that 16-match unbeaten run, 11 have been won and 50 goals have been plundered to fire them into the Champions League last-16 and up to fourth in the Premier League.
Everton had begun life under Allardyce in decent nick too, but back to back league defeats to Bournemouth and Manchester United have put the mockers on their own seven-game run without a loss.
More worryingly is the Toffees' lack of goals in recent games, and Allardyce will hope the £27m arrival of Cenk Tosun will help overturn just a solitary strike in Everton's last four outings.
Team News
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Klopp suffered a huge double whammy on the eve of Friday's crunch encounter with the news that Philippe Coutinho has joined Mohamed Salah on the sidelines with a thigh injury.
Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne are also absent but club-record signing Virgil Van Dijk could make his debut after the record-breaking £75m switch from Southampton.
Everton won't be able to call upon Michael Keane due to the need for six stitches in a gash on his foot, but Allardyce should have any other fit player available to him.
Ross Barkley, Seamus Coleman, Leighton Baines and Ramiro Funes Mori continue to recover from their respective injuries.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup: Mignolet; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson; Can, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Lallana, Mane, Firmino,
Predicted Everton Lineup: Pickford; Kenny, Holgate, Williams, Martina; Gueye, Schneiderlin, Rooney; Lennon, Calvert-Lewin, Sigurdsson.
Prediction
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Ordinarily Liverpool would expect to see off Everton thanks to an unbeaten 19-match run at Anfield going all the way back to 1999.
Shockingly, however, neither side has managed to win a FA cup clash on the Reds' home turf - all four previous games having ended in draws including the 1-1 draw in 2009.
The hosts will fancy their chances due to Everton's inconsistent form, but the Toffees will see the loss of Salah and Coutinho as a huge boost to their own chances of winning and it could well be that a replay at Goodison will be on the cards.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Everton
