Up to nine first-team players are expected to miss Wednesday’s Merseyside derby as Liverpool attempts to defeat bitter rivals Everton in order to solidify their already firm hold on the Premier League title. In February, the two teams faced off in a fierce match that was the final derby ever played at Goodison Park. James Tarkowski scored a late equaliser to give the Toffees a crucial point.
At the final whistle, Liverpool manager Arne Slot was sent off for a dispute with Michael Oliver, along with several other players. However, with numerous stars expected to miss the match at Anfield, the Dutchman and his counterpart David Moyes will have some significant selection challenges.
Liverpool Without Several Defensive Options
The Reds have been given a boost with Alisson’s availability
The Mirror claims that the hosts’ primary defensive issue, particularly at right-back, is the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley, and Joe Gomez due to ankle and hamstring problems, respectively. After several rumours almost confirmed that he had moved to Real Madrid in the summer, the former would have been met with a cold, at best, reception from the Anfield fans.
Due to the issue, Jarrell Quansah is most likely to start on the right side of the back four, and Slot is reportedly going to be without another player in the form of young Tyler Morton. However, there is some positive news about Ryan Gravenberch and Alisson Becker.
After being evaluated by Liverpool’s medical staff, the Brazilian goalie, who suffered a concussion while playing for his country, has been cleared to play in Wednesday’s match. Due to an injury, Gravenberch also left the Netherlands squad, although he is thought to have recovered and will play in the match.
Everton Missing Attacking Stars
David Moyes will have to contend without three of his most influential options in attack
Since David Moyes’ team will be missing three of their main attackers for the match, they will need to launch a very different attack to challenge their local rivals. Jurgen Klopp’s final-ever Merseyside derby saw Dominic Calvert-Lewin score, but the striker, Dwight McNeil, and Iliman Ndiaye will not be playing this time.
The full-back Vitalii Mykolenko is also out due to a thigh injury he sustained while representing Ukraine abroad. Serhiy Rebrov’s remarks following the game imply that the Toffees may suffer a severe setback, even though the full degree of the defender’s injury is still unknown. Orel Mangala will also remain out for the visitors while he heals from an ACL injury.
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