Liverpool vs Everton – Match preview – a 10 year wait, now it’s our turn?

By • Jan 24th, 2009 • Category: Match Previews |

Liverpool vs Everton Anfield F.A. Cup 4.00pm Sunday 25th January Live on Setanta Sports 1

Everton travel the very short distance to Anfield for the second time in a week having already denting Liverpool’s title hopes after a late Tim Cahill header earned the blues a late equaliser. The Everton stand-in striker equalled Dixie Deans record of 3 goals at Anfield in a Merseyside derby. Many will be hoping he will break the record and get his 4th come Sunday. The last time these teams were drawn in the F.A. Cup it was 1991 and Everton won the 2nd replay 1-0 with Dave Watson scoring the winner. The replay before was the famous 4-4 when Everton pegged Liverpool back 4 times. Everton had received double allocation for the game and sold out their 6,100 tickets in less than 3 days. It should be a good atmosphere in what will be a tense afternoon of football.

Team News
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has hinted he may rest key players ahead of games against Wigan and Chelsea. Pepe Reina, Torres, and possibly Steven Gerrard may be rested. Javier Mascherano and Andre Dossena are both set to be involved.

Everton are likely to name an unchanged side to the team that drew at Anfiled on Monday, Joseph Yobo may be called back into the team but isn’t likely to start

Expected Line-ups
Liverpool
Cavalieri
Carragher
Hyypia
Skrtel
Dossena
Kuyt
Mascherano
Gerrard
Alonso
Babel
Keane

Everton
Howard
Hibbert
Jagielka
Lescott
Baines
Neville
Osman
Arteta
Pienaar
Cahill
Anichebe

Betting
Liverpool 8/11 Draw 12/5 Everton 9/2
Everton 1-0 10/1
Everton 2-1 14/2
Everton 2-0 25/1
Draw 0-0 7/1
Draw 1-1 5/1
Draw 4-4 500/1
Tim Cahill F.G, L.G 9/1
Victor Anichebe F.G, L.G 10/1
Mikel Arteta F.G, L.G 14/1
Leighton Baines F.G, L.G 66/1
My Betting Prediction- Leighton Baines First Goalscorer 66/1

My Match Prediction-
Liverpool look set to rest key players for the league and with Everton in top form and playing well it will take something Gerrard-esque to beat them, If he’s kept quiet then i can see a sneaky win for Everton
Liverpool 0-1 Everton(Baines)

YOU WILL SEE ME IN THE FRONT ROW NEAR THE MIDDLE WITH A BRIGHT YELLOW TOP ON!!! COYB!

By Paul Lopez

10 Years of waiting finally over?

Despite only being a wee boy at the time, the last win at Anfield lives long in my memory. Every visit across the park in recent years has brought anticipation, expectation but on almost every occasion the blue half leave dejected, waiting yet another year to win back the bragging rights of the city. Stronger teams have come since that Campbell goal, but as the blue half of merseyside has strengthened as has the red. Players like Gerrard and Owen both blues as youngsters have graced the Anfield turf and done what no true blue could do and score against the toffees in a merseyside derby.

For us this seems to be the year. As the names came out of the hat many remembered the last time the two scouse titans met back in 91. A more comfortable match would be preferred as even at my young age I doubt my heart could take such a mauling of emotions. Since the 1-1 draw on monday many have thought that this year it could happen. We ran the show with the back line looking almost impenetrable.

It won’t be easy, but it never is. An array of different thoughts must be running through Benitez’s head, the game is there for him to lose. The spainard has already seemingly lost the title challenge after some rather out of the blue comments about Sir Alex Ferguson’s handling of referees. All Liverpool can win now appears to be the F.A cup, and I feel Benitez once again tried some mind games by implying he will field a weakened team tomorrow afternoon, lulling the toffees into a false sense of security? Lets just hope these comments come back to bit him on the bum like the last set did.

by Max O’Collins



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