Liverpool vs Everton
Monday 19th January 2009
Anfield
Kick Off - 8pm
Xabi Alonso (foot) and Fernando Torres (hamstring) have declared themselves fit to start for Liverpool.
Alvaro Arbeloa is also set to return after a hamstring problem, but centre-back Daniel Agger has a calf injury and may miss the game.
Everton will be without key midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who is suspended.
Up front, Everton are still without long-term injury victims James Vaughan (knee), Aiyegbeni Yakubu (Achilles) and Louis Saha (hamstring). <!-- E SF -->
<hr> Liverpool (from): Reina, Carragher, Arbeloa, Agger, Hyypia, Skrtel, Aurelio, Alonso, Benayoun, Lucas, Mascherano, Gerrard, Babel, Keane, Kuyt, Torres, Riera, Ngog, El Zhar, Cavalieri.
Everton (from): Howard, Hibbert, Baines, Jagielka, Lescott, Neville, Arteta, Pienaar, Castillo, Cahill, Anichebe, Nash, Van Der Meyde, Rodwell, Gosling, Jutkiewicz, Kissock.
The 209th Merseyside derby and 180th league clash sees Liverpool, on a 10-match unbeaten streak seeking a 200th home win in the Premier League.
Everton have won one more Premier League game away from home than the Reds have recorded at Anfield (seven to six).
By the time this Monday night match kicks off, Liverpool could have been knocked off the top of the table by Manchester United. It is the first of two such clashes in six days, with Everton also visiting Anfield on Sunday, 25 January for a fourth round tie in the FA Cup.
The Toffees have 11 fewer points than Liverpool, yet find themselves one place higher in the Premier League's "Last Six Current Form" table ahead of the weekend fixtures, in third with 13 points out of 18, Liverpool have 12.
Victory would extend Everton's run of consecutive away league victories to four, and make it a club record on the road for the Goodison club in the Premier League era. Everton have not registered four straight away league wins for 23 years. Ipswich, Southampton, West Brom and Coventry were all victims of the Toffees on their own home grounds between 16 November and 21 December 1985.
David Moyes' side also need clean sheets from their next two league games to equal their all-time top-flight record of seven in a row, home and away, set between 1 November and 17 December 1994. Liverpool were one of their victims in that sequence.
Everton have won only two of the last 18 Merseyside derbies against Liverpool, and have not taken away three points from Anfield since their 0-1 victory on 27 September 1999, when Kevin Campbell got the winner.
Distance between the clubs: 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometres)
Everton are making the shortest journey any Premier League club will make this season.
Linear Mode
