When will the postponed Everton v Liverpool take place?

Everton lost the first Merseyside derby of the 2023/24 Premier League season in October as Liverpool netted two unanswered second-half goals in a 2-0 victory at Anfield. 

Sean Dyche's side had thought they'd have a chance to repay the favour in February, but the Reds' appearance in the League Cup final against Chelsea pushed the game back to mid-March.

However, the Toffees' wait for revenge will extend after Jurgen Klopp's side secured a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 demolition of Southampton in the fifth round. The betting odds don’t favour us, but there are no bets to place on the derby yet. In the meantime, you can click here to review other gambling signup offers that you can use play online. 

When Will The Game Take Place?

The second Merseyside derby of the campaign, scheduled for March 17, has had to be postponed until further notice due to Liverpool’s cup run. 

While there's no definite new date for this highly anticipated fixture, limited space in the calendar means only two midweek slots are available for the rest of the season.

The first available slot is towards the end of April, but it'll depend on Liverpool's Europa League run. 

With the Reds expected to go the distance in Europe's second-tier competition, it's more likely the old foes will meet in the final week of the season.

Music to Everton's Ears

The Merseyside derby's postponement is a blessing in disguise, given Everton's current form. 

Dyche's charges dropped a second-half lead in a 3-1 home defeat to West Ham United last weekend, extending their winless run in the Premier League to ten matches (D5, L5).

Considering the Toffees' rotten patch, the Premier League's decision to reduce the club's initial ten-point sentence for breaching spending rules to six is the only positive in these uncertain times.

Stranded only five points clear of the bottom three, Everton head to Old Trafford on Saturday to encounter underachieving Manchester United in a battle of the two under-pressure managers.

Erik ten Hag's career in Manchester has reached a 'make or break' point, while Dyche's tenure at Goodison is approaching the same juncture, suggesting this could be a season-defining contest for both teams.

Misfiring Squad

Everton generated a promising 2.47 xG against West Ham but only scored once as their long-standing scoring woes in the Premier League refused to subside. 

Speaking to Evertonfc.com, Dyche urged his players to follow the example of Abdoulaye Doucoure and 'play with freedom' in front of goal after mustering the division's third-low 29 goals this season.

Only rock-bottom duo Burnley and Sheffield United have fared worse in the final third than the Toffees this season, with the Merseysiders bagging 2+ goals in just eight of their 27 league outings. 

If it's any consolation, a slight majority (52%) of those goals have come at Goodison, where they'll host Liverpool down the final stretch.

Head-To-Head Record Doesn't Make for Good Reading

Everton and Liverpool have faced each other 63 times in the Premier League, with the Toffees registering just ten wins against the Reds' 28, while 25 matches ended level.

Since Everton's 2-0 win at Anfield in a coronavirus-plagued 2020/21 campaign, Klopp's men have racked up three wins and a draw in the subsequent four top-flight encounters.

But the problem is Dyche's men failed to get on the scoresheet in all four games in that sequence, while each of those three defeats yielded the same 2-0 scoreline.

On top of that, Goodison last celebrated a victory in the Merseyside derby in 2010. Since then, Everton have won none of their 12 home league clashes against their cross-town rivals (D9, L3).

Perfect Time to End Barren Run

Now would be a great moment for Everton to break their home drought in this fixture, considering it would hinder Liverpool's title chances.

Klopp's men sit atop the Premier League table, but only two points separate them from third-placed Arsenal, with runners-up Manchester City lagging a point behind. 

Since the rescheduled encounter will take place at the business end of the campaign, Everton could throw a spanner in the works as the German boss bids to win the league title in his swansong season at Anfield. 

With the Toffees fighting their own battle in the lower reaches, a victory, though it'd have to arrive at long odds, would see Dyche (or his successor) kill two birds with one stone. 

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