Premier League: Where to watch the Merseyside derby live on December 1, 2021

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, Premier League, Everton, Liverpool

Rafa Benitez will have a taste of his first Merseyside derby when he lines up his Evertonians to take on his former club Liverpool.

The rivalry at Merseyside will be rekindled when Everton host Liverpool at Goodison Park on Wednesday night. The dynamics are slightly different this time, with a more hostile atmosphere being envisaged against the backdrop that Rafael Benitez will be in the blue corner.

The Spaniard, who was once employed by the Reds and etched his name into the club's history books by leading them to a UEFA Champions League title, took over the Toffees in the summer albeit struggling to hit a purple patch. In retrospect, it has not been for the lack of trying as injury has consistently hampered Everton's chances of putting together a decent run in the Premier League. 13 matches into the season, they have managed just 15 points and currently sit in 14th position. Even alarming is the fact that his side has not won in their last seven matches, taking just two points from a possible 21.

Going forward, Everton will be poised to make swift amends as they approach the upcoming clash with their city rivals on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Brentford. Needless to say, the fact that they defeated Liverpool at Anfield for the first time since 1999 in their last outing should be enough motivation for them to stage a potential turnaround.

For Jurgen Klopp's men, the objective will be to add to their impressive run that has seen them feature in a three-team title race with Chelsea and Manchester City. The Reds have lost just one game in 13 appearances this season, winning eight and drawing the remaining four games.

They approach the mid-week encounter on the back of a 4-0 home win over Southampton, having previously booked their place in the Champions League knockout stage with a 2-0 win over FC Porto. With their title rivals also travelling to Watford and Aston Villa, the Anfield outfit will be eager to keep the momentum going.

Team news

Richarlison returns from suspension for Everton, but Yerry Mina and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are still out. Andre Gomes has returned to training, leaving just Tom Davies out of Everton's lineup. With Roberto Firmino set to miss another week with a thigh complaint, Liverpool has no new injury troubles for the trip to Goodison Park. However, injury will still keep Naby Keita, Joe Gomez, and Curtis Jones out of the lineup.

Head-to-head

Everton's 2-0 win over Liverpool in February halted a record of 20 Premier League games without a win. For the first time since 1985, the Toffees might win back-to-back league matches. In 11 years, Liverpool has not dropped a Premier League match at Goodison Park. Eight of their last nine encounters, including the last four, have ended in a stalemate.

Key stats

Everton has gone seven games without a win in the Premier League, their longest such streak since April 2016 under Roberto Martinez. During that time, the Toffees have scored four goals and conceded thirteen.
Everton has the lowest point total of any Premier League team with two points from seven games.
Everton is one match away from being the first club in the Premier League to lose 400 games.
Liverpool, like Sunderland in 1927, is only the second team in Football League history to score at least twice in 17 straight matches in all competitions.
This season, Liverpool has scored 39 league goals, its highest total at this stage of a Premier League season.
Liverpool could become only the second Premier League team, after Manchester United in 2020, to score at least twice in 10 successive away matches.

Predicted starting XI

Everton: Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Godfrey, Digne; Townsend, Allan, Doucoure, Iwobi; Gray; Richarlison
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Jota, Mane.