Liverpool vs. Everton
Venue:Anfield Stadium
Kick off: 5:01PM
Liverpool will look to replicate their astonishing Premier League form in the FA Cup when they meet local rivals Everton in the third round this afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are cruising at the top of the table, while the Toffees are enjoying a resurgence of form under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Sheffield United handed Liverpool the incredible record of going a full calendar year without losing a game in the Premier League.
The result leaves the Merseyside club 13 points ahead of closest challengers Leicester City with a game in hand, leading many to believe that the title is already destined for Anfield.
However, while Liverpool’s resurgence in the league and in Europe has been remarkable, such success has not replicated itself in the FA Cup during the Klopp era.
Since the 2015-16 campaign, Liverpool have not gone beyond the fourth round, exiting the competition at that stage on three occasions and losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round last term.
Having not won the accolade since 2006, supporters will hope that their team places greater emphasis on going deeper in this competition – starting with a tantalising meeting with their biggest rivals under the lights today.
For Everton, it was their last visit to Anfield in December – a 5-2 defeat – that put the nail in the coffin for former manager Marco Silva, who was sacked soon after.
Since then, however, the Toffees have discovered a sense of rhythm that seemed to elude Silva and his players from the moment the 2019-20 campaign kicked off.
Following a galvanising victory over Chelsea under caretaker boss Darren Ferguson, the club secured the services of Champions League winner Ancelotti in what must be viewed as a masterful piece of recruitment.
The Italian has exerted an immediate impact, recording a pair of dominant victories over Burnley and Newcastle United ahead of performing impressively during a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad.
Indeed, Ancelotti will point to the organisation and energy of that performance as a blueprint for how Everton must negotiate the trip to Anfield this weekend.
Liverpool possible XI: Adrian, Hoever, Van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Salah, Firmino, Elliot.
Everton possible XI: Pickford, Sidibe, Holgate, Keane, Digne, Davies, Sigurdsson, Walcott, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin, Kean.