Everton welcome the visit of Liverpool in the Merseyside derby with Jurgen Klopp's charges coming off the back of a thumping 3-0 Champions League win over Manchester City.
The Toffees are in the midst of some worrying form against the Reds when it comes to one of football's historic fixtures, and Sam Allardyce will be hoping that his men can bring Liverpool back down to earth following their midweek exploits in Europe.
Everton
© OffsideEverton have endured a difficult season, but Allardyce has ensured that the Toffees will retain their top-flight status for another term.
The blue side of the city have seen their team win only one of their last 22 league meetings with Liverpool, having drawn 10 and lost 11 against the Reds.
At times Allardyce's charges have been hard to beat at home, although Everton have really struggled when competing at Goodison when facing sides from the supposed 'top six'. Seven of Everton's last eight league losses at home have come against sides in that bracket.
Following a testing campaign, Everton fans will likely be pleased with the progress of forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The youngster is level with Wayne Rooney in terms of being directly involved with the most goals for the club this season; the 21-year-old has eight goals and six assists.
The club have been rocked by a number of injuries lately, although the January addition of Turkish hitman Cenk Tosun seems to have lifted Everton going forward. The new striker appears to be a solid buy for Everton, who have often been criticised for a poor transfer strategy when spending big last summer.
In fact, Tosun has scored four goals in his last four games for the Toffees. The 26-year-old has already been quick to draw praise from teammate and winger Theo Walcott too, who recently lauded the frontman's movement and positioning inside the box.
As you might expect, contests between the two clubs have often been fiery affairs and statistics show that 21 red cards have been handed out in the Premier League meetings between these sides, which represents the most of any fixture in the top flight.
Allardyce has enjoyed a long and successful career in the Premier League, but should the Everton boss lose on Saturday afternoon he would become only the second manager behind Harry Redknapp to suffer defeat in 200 games in the division.
Recent form: WLLWWL
Recent form (all competitions): LLLWWL
Liverpool
© OffsideLiverpool head into the derby having demolished Manchester City 3-0 in the quarter-finals of their Champions League clash at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Klopp's charges will likely prioritise Europe going forward, although the club's finish in the Premier League will be important should they be eliminated on the continent and still want to qualify for Europe's elite competition next term.
The Reds currently find themselves in third place in the league standings, two points clear of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur who have a game in hand. Liverpool fans are bolstered by the fact that chasers Chelsea are languishing eight points adrift of the league's last Champions League place, though.
Some problematic scheduling has left Klopp frustrated that the derby has been scheduled early on Saturday afternoon, just a couple of days after their midweek meeting with City. The result of that fixture will have provided the German with some relief, however, given the sizeable lead the Reds now hold over Pep Guardiola's men.
Having lost to Manchester United at the start of March, Liverpool are now on a three-game winning streak in the Premier League and head into the game as the narrative surrounding Mohamed Salah only seems to become more captivating.
Having scored the winner against Crystal Palace at the weekend, the Egyptian now has 29 Premier League goals and has provided nine assists with another six games still to be played. The forward has broken a whole host of records this term, including the most goals in a season by a Liverpool player in the Premier League era. Such has been the 25-year-old's form this season, he is now just three goals away from scoring the most goals in a 38-game Premier League campaign.
Salah scored against City during the week, but he also looked to have picked up a groin injury during the victory. Klopp moved to reassure fans after the game that Salah was feeling "fine", but tempered his remarks by stating that the club will "have to wait for the real diagnosis" ahead of Saturday's meeting.
Travelling to Goodison, Liverpool have held much of the bragging rights over the blue half of Merseyside in recent years. Everton are targeting their first Premier League win over Liverpool after coming up short on the last 14 occasions.
Recent form: WWWLWW
Recent form (all competitions): WDLWWW
Team News
© OffsideIdrissa Gueye is likely to miss out for Everton after a muscle tear issue, although Ashley Williams could make a return from suspension against the Reds.
Allardyce finds himself without Gylfi Sigurdsson, Eliaquim Mangala, Mason Holgate and James McCarthy, who are all missing through injury.
Liverpool will be making a late check on Salah to ensure that he is fit enough to start the game at Goodison. If he is, he will likely line up in a front three with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shone on Wednesday and he will be competing for a place with Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield alongside the duo of James Milner and Jordan Henderson.
Klopp will probably be without Emre Can, while Joel Matip, Adam Lallana, Joe Gomez and Ragnar Klavan all find themselves injured too.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Williams, Baines; Gueye, Schneiderlin; Walcott, Rooney, Bolasie; Tosun
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Karius; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Lovren, Moreno; Milner, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Firmino, Mane, Salah
Head To Head
The Toffees have managed to win just once in their previous 22 league meetings with the Reds. Everton last won a Merseyside derby in the top flight in October 2010 courtesy of a 2-0 victory.
Four of the last five Premier League fixtures at Goodison Park have actually ended in draws, although Liverpool were able to claim a 1-0 win in the contest last season.
The reverse of this fixture earlier in this campaign ended in a 1-1 draw at Anfield. Across their last six meetings, Liverpool have won four and drawn twice.
We say: Everton 1-2 Liverpool
Liverpool's win on Wednesday will leave the club and its fans brimming with confidence heading into a derby that they have dominated in recent years.
Klopp still has ambitions of shoring up Champions League safety for next term and he will not be taking the league lightly despite the club's impressive progress in Europe.
As for Everton, safety is all but secured for the Toffees and this fixture presents a chance for Allardyce's side to face their fierce rivals without too much pressure on the contest, hopefully leading to an open encounter at Goodison.
