The 212th Merseyside Derby

Malam ne Liverpool akan bertandang ke Goodison Park dalam pertemuan kali ke 212 diantara dua kelab yang berjiranan di Bandaraya Liverpool. Kedudukan diantara Anfield dan Goodison begitu hampir; hanya dipisahkan oleh Stanley Park. (tapak cadangan pembinaan stadium baru LFC????...yang entah bila nak jadi kenyataan)

Perlawanan malam ini menarik kerana kedua-dua pasukan sedang mengalami penurunan dari segi prestasi dan perlu memenangi perlawanan untuk mengembalikan semangat demi menghadapi cabaran cabaran seterusnya untuk musim ini. 

Bagi Liverpool, kemenangan malam ini akan merapatkan kedudukan dengan Spurs, Villa dan Man City yang semuanya hanya berjaya mampu seri didalam perlawanan mereka semalam.... dan kemudian kita harap Arsenal akan dapat 'memperlahankan' kemaraan Chelsea.

Liverpool di percayai akan turun tanpa Torres.....dan di harap Aquilani akan diberikan peluang untuk membuktikan kemampuan sebenar beliau.

Perlawanan antara jiran terdekat ini (local derby) tak pernah tak sengit dan selalu nya berakhir dengan  kontroversi. 

Berikut sedikit statistik menarik menurut liverpoolfc.tv;

• Liverpool have won 82 of the 211 meetings in all competitions with Everton winning 65 and 64 ending all square. 
• Today will mark the 181st league meeting with the Reds having won 68 to the Blues 56. It is the most played derby in English league football. 
• The Reds are looking to win three league games in a row at Goodison for only 3rd time in club's history. 
• Liverpool have lost just two of the last 11 derbies at Goodison winning seven of the last nine.  
• The Reds have kept two clean sheets in the last nine league visits to Goodison but in that time have scored 18 goals. 
• The Reds have lost just two of the last 19 meetings in the Premier League home and away. 
• Only four of the players currently at the two clubs have scored in a Merseyside league derby. Steven Gerrard (4), Fernando Torres (3) and Dirk Kuyt (2) have scored for the Reds while the only Everton player to do so is Tim Cahill (4).   
• Steven Gerrard and Phil Neville are the only players in Derby history to be sent off twice.
• 17 players have been sent off in the 34 Premier League meetings between the clubs with eight men seeing red in the last nine clashes.  
• Steven Gerrard made his Liverpool debut 11 years ago today as a substitute against Blackburn at Anfield. 
• This game could see him make his 499th appearance for the Reds.  
• Fernando Torres is two goals away from recording 50 in the league for the Reds. Should he score them in the next 12 games he will have achieved the feat quicker than any other Liverpool player ever, beating the record of 80 games held by Sam Raybould in 1902 and Albert Stubbins in 1949. 

Untuk statistik lain, baca disini.

Statistik menyebelahi kita. 

LFC's Probable line-up ; Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Aurellio, Mascherano, Lucas, Gerrard, Benayoun, Kuyt, Ngog. 

Subs ; Cavilieri, Skrtel, Spearing. Insua, Aquilani, Torres(doubtful), Kyrgiakos

Predictions;    Everton 0 - 3 Liverpool

YNWA