Everton vs Liverpool PL (1st Dec - 8:15pm)

[SB]

Team picks itself for me. We've got Wolves away on Saturday so we can maybe make some changes for that?

AB

Trent
Matip
Virg
Robbo

Fab
Thiago
Hendo

Salah
Jota
Mane

And then bring Millie on when we’re 4-0 up & let me get stuck in to them with a few agricultural tackles as pay back.

[Fosterbloke]

I'd like Tommy Smith and Jimmy Case for this one (possibly Souness and McMahon as late subs).

......and Lucas clipping their heels at every opportunity

Ahem, Mascherano and Gerrard!

[rodo]

The ev crying it in tactic is in full flow

[frank the tank]

The ev crying it in tactic is in full flow

yer wha?

[SB]

yer wha?

+1

[Yozza]

'Nothing else to say about the derby' - Klopp

Jurgen Klopp is asked to expand on the fact that, apparently, the Merseyside derby isn't his favourite fixture of the season.

"No," Klopp replies. "Because you are all not able to write it in a proper way.

"Nothing else to say about it, I've said what I have said. From this moment on now.

"I will play it as a normal football game."

Ouch.



'Form matters' - Klopp

Liverpool are coming into the Merseyside derby as the form team, while Everton are struggling to find a rhythm under former Reds boss Rafa Benitez.

"Form matters," said Jurgen Klopp. "Especially when it is good.

"We play good football and that's what we have to do tomorrow night and if we do that then we are difficult to play, it's exactly the plan we have."



'I an enjoying the games when I watch them back - Klopp

Liverpool have been averaging two goals per game this season and put four past Southampton at Anfield on Saturday.

Surely Jurgen Klopp is enjoying every minute of it?

"It is nice to watch when you score goals but when you are one nil, two nil up it's not really enjoyable, it's just work to do," said Klopp.

"That's what we have to do put of course, some of the goals are really nice but I'm not seeking for joy around football games - I can enjoy them when I watch them back - but during the game I'm now really in the mindset for the that."



'Salah should have been higher' - Klopp

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was seventh in last night's Ballon d'Or rankings.

Was Jurgen Klopp surprised where the Egyptian placed?

"Yes, I was to be honest," he said. "But it is not in my hands.

"Is the Ballon d'Or a journalists vote? Then yeah, don't ask me, it's your fault! If you think he should be higher up, then you should convince your colleagues.

"You can give it to Lionel Messi for the career he has had, all these kind of things, but then don't give it to Robert Lewandowski this time - so it's quite tricky to win it at all.

"Mo definitely should have been higher up."



'We know what the supporters want' - Klopp

Good afternoon, Jurgen Klopp.

No messing around for the Liverpool boss, how does he feel about being involved in another Merseyside derby?

"There are some "special" things around derbies. First and foremost, it's a football game as well - that's exactly how we will approach it," said Klopp.

"We know what our supporters want, their soul. We try to fulfil their dreams, their wishes and derby games are more in-focus but from our point of view, it's a football game."

[Tribute]

My thoughts exactly. Can he make it 3 from 3 ?

Thiago to get a screamer early on and then sub him off quickly when we're nine up at half-time... wrap him in a duvet and keep him warm until the weekend.

Lad's playing well at the moment but these ****ers will look to end his season, sure as eggs are... eggs.

[Yozza]

Some more quotes...


Team news: Firmino needs another week - Klopp

Last few words from Jurgen Klopp. How is the Liverpool injury list looking?

"Everyone came through well," he said. "All the boys, Joe Gomez, Naby Keita.

"Especially Joe, he is not too far away from team training, Naby is not too far away from team training and then Bobby [Firmino] probably needs another week to do more football stuff and with Curtis, it's just in our hands. He is completely fine, he's doing what he is allowed to do.

"If you asked Curtis, he would go out and run a marathon but it's just not allowed at the moment and we have to wait until the doctors give us the green light."



Van Dijk comeback really good - Klopp

It's been a long road back to fitness for Virgil van Dijk.

The Netherlands international was sidelined for the majority of last season after suffering cruciate ligament damage following a challenge by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

"He had a full pre-season, which was really helpful," said Jurgen Klopp "But we also had to learn to deal with.

"Even if it was the third game, he might have looked fine but maybe he just needed a little break.

"We need to have in our mind to give him a break from time to time but apart from that, it's all good.

"His comeback has been really good and if some things have been not exactly like they have been then it's only a matter of time before it does.



'We need to keep a cool head' - Klopp

Last year's fixture at Goodison Park saw defender Virgil van Dijk and midfielder Thiago Alcantara suffer major injuries.

It was the beginning of a long list of injuries for the Liverpool boss, so how does the German feel about this fixture now?

"We will need to keep a cool head," said Jurgen Klopp.

"We are still an emotional team and we need to use the emotion on the right way - and that's the plan for tomorrow, absolutely."

[Paul12]

Everton have nothing to lose, plenty to prove, and a manager who is very cute - so I see this being much much tighter than recent form suggests.

[Kenneth]

It could be a tightish game, yes. I think Rafa will go extremely negative and the pattern of the game will be shaped by whether we can get a goal early. If we do then we’ll **** them up, and if not, it might be a slog.

[Paul12]

Think we will rest Thiago for this game (he has played at least an hour of each of the last three), and use either Millie or AOC alongside Henderson and Fabinho. (I would laugh though if he played Morton!). Normal back five, but will rest one of the front players....probably Jota...and give Derek a start.

[Norbs]

It'll be really interesting to see how Benitez approaches this. Goes completely against his beliefs if they kick the **** out of us and would also show how little he's in command

[rodo]

Some grim stuff already to add to the **** atmosphere lately with parts of anfield being vandalised obviously both sides have a dickhead mentality which considering the really **** week the city has had it really doesn't need **** like it

[Exiled_red]

Everton have nothing to lose, plenty to prove, and a manager who is very cute - so I see this being much much tighter than recent form suggests.

[Le Chef]

On Rafa, I think they are looking long term, seriously who are they going. to get if they sacked Rafa - Ole ?

Gobsmacked if he went anytime soon.