Liverpool come into the fixture still as big favourites, and with good reason, given that they have lost just one of the last 25 derbies played at Anfield.

However, they are in similar form to which preceded that only previous home derby defeat since the turn of the millennium, in 2021.

During that season, Everton were one of six sides who beat Liverpool at Anfield in succession, ending Liverpool’s 22-year unbeaten run over the blue half of Merseyside on home soil.

Liverpool’s fall from grace only seems to steepen with each passing week, leaving many questions needing answers ahead of their famed Merseyside Derby against city-rivals Everton. Still winless in the Premier League (PL) in 2023 (D1, L3), a humbling 3-0 defeat to Wolves last time out only served to ramp up the pressure on Jürgen Klopp, with Liverpool only ever starting a calendar year with a longer winless PL run once before, that being five games in 2017 (D3, L2), a record they are now dangerously close to matching.

To win games you have to score goals, and that’s something Klopp’s men haven’t done in their last three PL outings, with their 0-0 draw against Chelsea in their last Anfield runout being the first time they’ve failed to score in their last 33 home PL matches.

The Reds do have a formidable H2H record at Anfield to boast over Everton though, having experienced only one defeat in a home Merseyside Derby since the turn of the millennium (W14, D10).

During Liverpool’s dreadful run of form at home in 2021, Dyche was the man who oversaw the first of those six-straight home defeats when in charge of Burnley, so he has been here and done it before, and Evertonians will cling onto that to give them some additional hope.

Liverpool Premier League form:

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Liverpool form (all competitions):

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Everton Premier League form:

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Everton form (all competitions):

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The Toffees therefore make the trip across Stanley Park in good spirits, where a win would ingrain Dyche into Everton folklore considering only two Toffees managers have ever won their first league Merseyside Derby against Liverpool.

That would be quite the feat considering Everton have only won two of their last 27 PL matches on their travels (D7, L18), but Dyche did famously oversee a victory at Anfield whilst in charge of Burnley that famously ended Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten home PL run!

Key battle: Mohamed Salah has often been a late bloomer, scoring nine of his last 19 goals for Liverpool past the 75th minute. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford will be on a mission to stop the Egyptian, having kept five clean sheets in his last ten PL Merseyside Derbies.

Hot stat: Liverpool have only lost four of the last 159 PL matches when they’ve scored the first goal (W131, D24).