“Can’t see them losing” – Paul Merson would be ‘shocked’ if one thing happens in Merseyside derby

‘Everton come into this game after having won each of their last two [home] games as well. I can’t see them losing the Merseyside derby…something tells me that Everton will get a point.’

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Liverpool will need a strong away performance to win on Sunday

Not since the 2020/21 season have the two teams been so close to each other in the Premier League table going into a Merseyside derby, and the Toffees’ home form has been notably better than Liverpool’s away record.

The Reds were shaken by their Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, too, and Wayne Rooney questioned the motivation levels of Slot’s players in the run-up to this fixture. Opta calculations even give Everton a marginally greater statistical chance of victory.

It’d be inaccurate to describe LFC as underdogs going into this game, but it’d be fair to say that a repeat of the flaccid performances in losing away to Brighton, Manchester City and PSG in the past month would likely be punished to the fullest by David Moyes’ side.

However, if Liverpool reprise the determination levels they showed against the European champions on Tuesday and – crucially – convert the chances they create, they are more than capable of earning a first Merseyside derby away win since December 2021.

It’s a difficult fixture to call, but the opportunity to pull eight points clear of Everton with victory must surely act as a major incentive for the Reds to complete the double over their local rivals this season.