Big Match Focus: Liverpool v Everton

The Premier League is back, with the first Merseyside derby of the season kicking off the weekend's action.

It’s derby day on Saturday, as Everton make the short trip across Stanley Park to face Liverpool at Anfield for the 294th Merseyside derby.

After suffering their first Premier League defeat since April in contentious circumstances away at Tottenham, Liverpool could only draw with Brighton and Hove Albion in their final game before the October international break.

Everton, meanwhile, ended their wait for a first home win of the season by dispatching Bournemouth 3-0 at Goodison Park, in a match where the good work Sean Dyche has managed to do this season finally paid off.

That being said, there’s no doubt that these two rivals are operating at different ends of the spectrum right now, and Liverpool are heavy favourites to continue their excellent record against their neighbours at Anfield.

While Liverpool are looking to return to the Champions League — and a title challenge cannot be discounted just yet — the goal for Everton is a bit of stability in mid-table, and avoiding another relegation scrap.

Dyche will point to the statistics, and perhaps fairly so, that show Everton are performing well, but the results have not matched up, and after a fairly easy start, the Toffees are now into a much tougher run of fixtures — on paper at least.