liverpool vs everton takes center stage on Sunday as Liverpool travel to Everton for the first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Joe Gomez and Hugo Ekitike both ruled out. The match is set for a 2pm BST kick-off, and the latest team news puts the focus squarely on Liverpool’s injury list and Everton’s limited but important boost. liverpool vs everton now comes with added attention because both sides enter the fixture with clear selection questions.
Liverpool’s injury blow before the derby
Liverpool will be without Gomez after he came off in the Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield. The defender had been introduced at half-time on Tuesday night, but he was withdrawn 22 minutes later, leaving the Reds short at the back for a major league test.
Ekitike is also unavailable after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the first half when he slipped on the surface. Arne Slot said the forward will be out for a “long time, ” making his absence one of the most significant setbacks in the build-up to this liverpool vs everton meeting.
The pair join Stefan Bajcetic, Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, Jayden Danns, Wataru Endo and Giovanni Leoni on the sidelines. Alexander Isak started in midweek in what was his third appearance since a near-four-month lay-off with an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture, and Slot said he is currently unable to last an entire match but is “getting closer and closer. ”
Arne Slot outlines options up front
Slot said Liverpool have alternatives at No. 9, naming Federico Chiesa as one of the options if needed. He also stressed that Isak’s return gives the squad another route forward after Ekitike’s injury, but he made clear the striker is still being managed carefully.
On Jayden Danns, Slot said the 20-year-old is back working with the under-21s after a long spell out, but not ready for the senior bench this weekend. He said there are still “a lot of steps to be made” before the forward can be considered for Premier League action.
Everton eye a late-season boost
Everton should only have Jack Grealish absent for the derby after his surgery on a foot stress fracture. Charly Alcaraz has missed the last six matches because of injury, but David Moyes said he is back training and could return.
Moyes said Everton are as close to fully fit as they can be and pointed to the importance of having something to play for with six games left. The Toffees entered the weekend in eighth place in the Premier League table and only trail seventh-placed Brentford on goal difference.
What this derby means now
This liverpool vs everton fixture arrives with both clubs carrying different pressures: Liverpool through absences, Everton through the chance to strengthen their late push. The first derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium adds another layer to a meeting already shaped by selection news and the timing of the season.
With the teams moving toward Sunday’s 2pm BST start, the final focus will be on how Liverpool manage their attacking options and whether Everton can make use of their near-full squad. In a game defined by details, liverpool vs everton is now set up as much by the medical room as by the tactical plan.
