Liverpool vs Everton is not just the duel between Klopp and Ancelotti, which is already unmissable. It is a crossroads that will mark the aspirations of the former in the Premier League and the real options of the latter to return to European competitions, the main goal of the whole season.
Because of this and because derbies are not played but won, this Saturday’s duel (12.30pm) fits into every corner in the “must-see” category.
Liverpool can’t afford one more luxury: they already failed against Manchester City, against Leicester and against Manchester United. It would seem that he has taken a step aside in the fight for the Premier League title and that now the priority, whoever believes it, is not to leave the current disgraceful sixth place to fight for one of the four squares in the Champions League.
The cross is still the injuries of Fabinho, James Milner Diogo Jota, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, so the improvisations will remain an obligation and not a choice for Klopp.
Fortune, at this point, smiles on Carlo Ancelotti, who will lose, yes, Gbamin and Yerry Mina, the latter for a period of three to four weeks, but will recover no more and no less than the Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the total midfielder, the Brazilian Allan. Knowing that the balance is back is necessarily an illusion for the ‘toffees’, who come from two defeats against Fulham (0.2) and Manchester City (1-3) and need to win now to climb from the seventh square of the table to the European classification area.
There is also a good feeling with James Rodríguez, who is “well, happy and motivated”, in the words of Ancelotti and will have on him the obligation to move the threads to hurt an Everton that, perhaps for the only time , does not come as untouchable.
probable alignments
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Kabak, Henderson, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum, Jones; Wrong, Firmino, Mane
Everton: Pickford; Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Digne; Doucoure, Allan; Rodriguez, Sigurdsson, Richarlison; Calvert-Lewin
time: 12:30 Colombian time