- Jeremy van Dyk
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Two of Liverpool’s headline attackers, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, start the Merseyside derby on the bench. For a meeting that rarely takes prisoners, that is a jolt. The teams walk out at Anfield for a round-five Premier League kickoff at 11:30 UTC, and the selection sheet is already the first talking point. This is the kind of decision that can win a manager praise for courage or questions for caution, depending on how the afternoon plays out.
It’s a high-wire match for both. Liverpool want early-season momentum and a statement at home. Everton need points and a platform. In the Liverpool vs Everton rivalry, small choices ripple into big moments. Today, that ripple starts with two big names parked beside the ice buckets.
Line-ups and selection calls
Liverpool stick to a 4-2-3-1 built on strong central control and quick wide transitions. Alisson Becker is in goal. Conor Bradley gets the nod at right-back, Ibrahima Konaté partners captain Virgil van Dijk in the middle, and Milos Kerkez starts at left-back. In front of them, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister form the double pivot—one to break lines, one to pace the game. Further up, Mohamed Salah starts on the right, Dominik Szoboszlai sits in the No. 10 role, Cody Gakpo comes in from the left, and Hugo Ekitike leads the line.
- Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Bradley, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Ekitike.
- Notable subs: Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, plus a full complement of defensive and midfield cover.
Isak has been in sharp form, and Wirtz is a creative hub, so leaving both out at once is a statement. The logic likely runs through balance and pressure. Ekitike stretches back lines and attacks space early. That pins center-backs and opens the inside pockets for Szoboszlai to roam and Salah to isolate. Gakpo can drift into central lanes to form a second striker—useful against a back line that can be aggressive on first contact.
There’s also the energy profile. Bradley’s inclusion signals trust in his recovery pace on the right. With Grealish on Everton’s left, that duel demands timing and nerve. Kerkez on the other side gives Liverpool a more direct left-back outlet. If the home side want to flip the field quickly, those two full-backs matter as much as the front four.
Everton match the shape. Jordan Pickford starts in goal. The back line includes Jake O’Brien, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, and Vitaliy Mykolenko. Idrissa Gana Gueye and James Garner anchor midfield, and the three behind the striker are Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Jack Grealish. Beto starts up front.
- Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Beto.
- Unavailable: Jarrad Branthwaite (injury).
There’s a clear Everton plan in that front four: carry, arrive, collide. Grealish slows and disturbs on the left before accelerating into the box. Dewsbury-Hall ghosts into second balls and late runs. Ndiaye presses the ball carrier and feeds off broken play. Beto fights center-backs and drags them into awkward areas. It’s direct but not crude—more about creating rebounds and chaos than slow possessions.
Liverpool are missing Stefan Bajcetic, which trims holding depth and makes the Gravenberch–Mac Allister axis even more important. Everton, without Branthwaite, lean on Tarkowski and Keane’s chemistry and set-piece edge. That alone puts Liverpool’s defensive discipline under the microscope at corners and free-kicks. Anfield has seen Tarkowski win matches in the air. Liverpool know that drill.
Tactics, matchups, and stakes
The derby usually distills into 15-meter battles. Start with the wide lanes. Kerkez vs. Grealish is a tempo fight. If Kerkez can show Grealish outside early and win first contact, Liverpool’s left can spring forward through Gakpo’s diagonal runs. If Grealish keeps winning one-v-ones, Liverpool’s shape gets dragged back, and Everton’s midfield steps up 10 yards. That’s the lever on that side.
On the right, Bradley vs. Mykolenko is less pretty but just as important. Bradley must pick his moments to overlap Salah. If he goes and the pass isn’t clean, Everton can flip into Ndiaye running behind in two touches. If Bradley holds and Liverpool build with three, Salah has more room to receive to feet and spin inside. Those micro-decisions turn half-chances into matches.
In the middle, it’s about control versus contest. Mac Allister wants rhythm—two touches, forward angles, break the first line. Gravenberch wants to stride past a man and change the picture. Gueye and Garner will try to cut that off at source, not with a press on the center-backs but with pressure when the first pass lands in midfield. You can’t control a derby if your No. 6 is always receiving with his back to a tackle. That will be Everton’s cue: arrive when it’s messy, win the bounce, release Grealish or Dewsbury-Hall.
The Van Dijk–Konaté pairing against Beto is the heavyweight bout. Beto will test the space between them. If he pins one and engages the other, the second ball zone opens for Everton’s No. 10. For Liverpool, the answer is clear communication and early contact. Don’t wait for Beto to bring it down; meet him on the way. If Liverpool clear the first ball cleanly, they can spring Salah in behind Mykolenko. If they don’t, Everton will camp at the top of the box and let Dewsbury-Hall take aim.
Set pieces feel pivotal. Tarkowski and Keane are dangerous, and Everton build around those moments. Liverpool’s counter-threat off defensive corners, though, is real. If Salah or Gakpo can catch a slow reset, Everton’s structure is vulnerable for 10 seconds after their dead balls. That is often where these derbies flip—one team overcommits, the other punishes the second phase.
Then there’s the bench—the biggest card on Liverpool’s table. Isak gives Liverpool a different profile to Ekitike: hold-up strength, wall passes, and a ruthless finish from crosses. Wirtz gives them control where chaos usually wins, with the ability to find lane-three passes in the final third. If the match locks into a stalemate or Liverpool chase a goal, those two change both the tempo and the shape. You can see a late switch to a 4-2-2-2 or a narrower 4-3-3 with Wirtz as an advanced eight to overload central spaces.
Starting Ekitike is more than a vote of confidence; it’s a clue to Liverpool’s first-half plan. Stretch the pitch, test Keane’s turning circle, ask Tarkowski to defend space rather than contact. If Liverpool can land early behind the line, Everton will have to tilt deeper, which invites Szoboszlai to take more touches in Zone 14. If the early runs go nowhere, the game narrows, and Everton can squeeze the middle where Gueye and Garner are happiest.
For Everton, the path runs through control of moments rather than control of possession. Pickford’s long distribution to Beto can bypass Liverpool’s press. Second balls become launchpads. If those are won around the halfway line, Everton’s wingers enter the game facing the goal, which is where they’re most dangerous. If Liverpool win those duels instead, Everton spend long stretches chasing shadows.
There is also the intangible of Anfield itself. The head-to-head numbers lean Liverpool’s way in recent meetings: 16 wins to Everton’s 3, with 14 draws in the broader picture supplied here. That doesn’t decide today, but it does shape risk appetite. Liverpool can be patient at home. Everton often feel they need the first punch. If that punch lands, Anfield can get restless; if it misses, Liverpool can settle into their ball-circulation groove.
Team health shapes the margins. Without Bajcetic, Liverpool have fewer options to shut a game down with a true holding midfielder late on. That could mean a higher tolerance for a shootout if the match is level after 70. Without Branthwaite, Everton lose recovery speed across the back line. That is exactly what Salah and Ekitike look to punish. If Liverpool keep finding Salah isolated against the left side, that’s trouble for the visitors.
Zoom out and the stakes are simple. It’s early, but round five matters. A win tilts the table for the next month—fixture lists feel lighter when the derby sits in the “W” column. A draw keeps the temperature at a simmer. A loss lingers. Managers remember it, players carry it, and you hear about it in every press conference until winter.
So the gambit is on. Liverpool bet on legs and space to start, with power off the bench if the script needs new ink. Everton bet on structure, set pieces, and abrupt transitions. The first wave will tell us if the home side’s risk with rotation pays off—or if the blue half of the city find their moment before Isak and Wirtz step onto the stage.
Kickoff is set, the noise is building, and the line-ups leave nothing to hide. All that’s left is the version of this derby that actually gets played.
