Red-hot Liverpool gun for Everton
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LONDON • Last season's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park was where Liverpool's season started to unravel.
Virgil van Dijk suffered a season-ending injury in that game after being poleaxed by Jordan Pickford and the loss of their key defender was the main reason the Reds failed to retain their English Premier League title.
However, it is Everton who are now the wounded side as third-placed Liverpool, just two points off leaders Chelsea (30), visit today.
The Toffees have taken only two points from a possible 21 and sit in 14th spot, with unrest building and manager Rafael Benitez increasingly looking like he is on borrowed time.
Richarlison returns after a one-game suspension but Everton's injury list makes for grim reading - Abdoulaye Doucoure, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Yerry Mina, Andre Gomes, Tom Davies and Demarai Gray are all out.
Liverpool have their own injury problems with Roberto Firmino, Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez ruled out, while Naby Keita is a doubt.
But unlike the hosts, the visitors are purring at the moment, especially in attack where they have plundered a league-leading 39 goals this season, their highest tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign.
Jurgen Klopp's men have also scored two or more goals in 17 consecutive games in all competitions, becoming only the second English team to do so after Sunderland in 1927.
The German knows he has the opportunity to turn the screw on former Liverpool boss Benitez and he wants his players to exploit Everton's frailties at the moment.
He said yesterday: "Form matters, especially when it's good. We have to play good football and we're difficult to play against when we do. That's what we try.
"We have three points at stake. We just try to win it, nothing to do with their 'special situation' over their coach or whatever.
"We know there are some special things around derbies but it's a football game as well, that's how we approach it. We understand the supporters' soul and we try to fill their wishes. Derbies are in focus but we approach it like a football game."
On how van Dijk returning to the scene of the first major injury of his career, Klopp added: "The situation was unlucky, I haven't seen it happen in another game since.
"Virg is very experienced. He just has to be completely free of all things in his mind because of one issue in the past.
"He's come back brilliant. People are quick if things are not exactly like they were. Those judgments make no sense. Three games in a week, he looked fine but we gave him a break. Not sure that's needed now for the next few games but we think about it from time to time."
REUTERS
