Everton vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League latest team news and line-ups as Diogo Jota out of Merseyside derby in injury blow

Jurgen Klopp was surprised by criticism of his side’s performance in the 3-1 win at Fulham as the Liverpool manager insisted results are all that matter when the Premier League title race is this close.

“I know this is the last part of the season: it is not about playing the freshest football of the whole year – that would be strange if that works out with the schedule all the teams have,” Klopp said.

“But you have to win games and I think we know how to do that and we have to make sure everybody understands the way we want to try (on Wednesday).

“I wouldn’t say it was straightforward but until two weeks ago everything was probably better than anyone would have expected.

“Then you have this week (losing to Atalanta and Crystal Palace) when the performances were not as bad as the results felt afterwards.

“And then it is like, ‘Why don’t you score enough? If you look at our numbers, yes, there are two teams who have scored more than us (Arsenal and Manchester City) but it is not like there are two teams who scored 50 goals more than us.

“It is always about how you can get the right feeling again for the situation and the next game and we usually do that. I am really happy now with the response.”

Jurgen Klopp has lost just one of his 18 matches against Everton as Liverpool manager, but with just two wins at Goodison Park in seven attempts.

Klopp’s five draws theere is more than any other away ground but Liverpool simply have to win if they are to keep pace with Arsenal and put the pressure on Manchester City.

“I don’t know exactly when my first derby was, 2016, but when I (first) came here it would not be honest if I said that is my game of the year. It wasn’t, I knew how important it was for the people, but didn’t feel it then,” he said.

“Now I know it and feel it. My understanding developed over the years. They are always difficult games, especially there, but it is not too important, what we had in the past.”

Pep Guardiola’s side are aiming to win a fourth league title in a row – a feat that has never been achieved in the history of English football, and the title is now in their hands after both Liverpool and Arsenal slipped up at home on that fateful Sunday two weeks ago.

But it’s not over yet. With City in action in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend, both Arsenal and Liverpool were left with two games to play before City’s next Premier League fixture. It’s a chance for Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta to put the pressure on.

So, with four weeks to go, which team has the best fixtures and who has the hardest run of games to end the season?

Crucial Merseyside derby brings unique pressure for Jurgen Klopp ahead of final clash with Everton

A Merseyside derby was Liverpool’s last game before Jurgen Klopp joined. Now he prepares for his last derby. He arrived in England with a sense of what it meant for those who grew up with it but, he reflected, “I would not be honest if I said it was my game of the year”. Some eight-and-a-half years later, as he looks forward to his 19th, “my understanding has developed”.

Improving his players’ grasp of the game involved a delve into Liverpool’s past, via clips of scousers who grew up on either side of the divide. “At the beginning I remember I showed the players videos of Carragher in the derby and Stevie where he got red cards – I love one, and respect the other a lot,” Klopp said; probably not in that order, either. Steven Gerrard was sent off twice against Everton, once for planting his studs into Kevin Campbell’s thigh as a teenager, once for collecting two cautions in the first 18 minutes as captain. There are Evertonians who think the boyhood Blue Jamie Carragher should have seen red as often.

A game nicknamed “the friendly derby” in earlier decades became notable for expulsions in the Premier League. “That’s what the people expect, that if you get a red card against Everton it’s fine. It’s not, it’s absolutely not because we want to win the game, and it’s the only reason why we go there,” Klopp rationalised.

Diogo Jota has been ruled out for two weeks and will miss most of the rest of Liverpool’s season.

The forward, who has had an injury-hit campaign, got a knock during Sunday’s 3-1 win at Fulham, which was his first start since February.

And he will now miss Wednesday’s Merseyside derby along with Liverpool’s games against West Ham and Tottenham in a blow to Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasing team.

Klopp said: “He will be out for two weeks. Before which game where he didn’t start, he got a knock – normal challenge, then felt a little bit at the hip. That was then fine because we didn’t start him, brought him on, that was alright. Then he started the last game and was obviously OK and then with the finish… it’s a small one but we are late in the season, so obviously now it’s not a great moment for each injury pretty much. It’s not a big one. When I say two weeks, actually really it’s pretty much nothing but enough to not be available.”

Everton and Liverpool face off in the biggest Merseyside derby in over 30 years at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event).

The stakes could not be higher for the Merseyside rivals, who find themselves at opposite ends of the table. The Toffees are five points clear of the relegation zone and a win would put them within touching distance of securing their Premier League status for next season.

A defeat could drag them back into the battle at the bottom, although their price has drifted out to 14/1 in the Premier League odds to be relegated this season following a vital, if a tad controversial, win over Nottingham Forest last time out.

Liverpool also secured an important victory at the weekend, beating Fulham 3-1 to go back above Manchester City and level on points with Arsenal at the summit, albeit still behind the Gunners on goal difference.

With City playing on Thursday, Jurgen Klopp’s men have the chance to crank up the pressure on their title rivals by creating a four-point gap with a win at Goodison.

Liverpool are odds-on with football betting sites to secure another important victory, but the form guide can go out the window in a local derby.

Everton: Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Garner, McNeil; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be assessed by Everton after suffering a minor injury against Nottingham Forest, while fellow striker Beto will miss the next two games after a head injury. Seamus Coleman has returned to training but is not yet ready for involvement.

Liverpool’s Diogo Jota has been ruled out for two weeks after his injury against Fulham. Mohamed Salah and Alexis Mac Allister should return to the line-up, but Connor Bradley remains unavailable.

When is Everton vs Liverpool?

The match will kick-off at 8pm BST on Wednesday 24 April at Goodison Park.

Everton vs Liverpool will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League, with coverage starting from 7pm. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Jurgen Klopp takes the trip across Stanley Park for the final time as Everton host Liverpool in a midweek Merseyside Derby at Goodison.

Liverpool put themselves back in the Premier League title race by beating Fulham on Sunday and can now move four points clear of Manchester City and level with Arsenal with a win against their city rivals.

Pep Guardiola’s side would still have two games in hand, but it could certainly put the pressure on Manchester City as the champions travel to Brighton tomorrow evening.

Everton will be out to deny Liverpool and Klopp, with Sean Dyche’s side desperate for points in their bid to avoid the drop and keen to build on Sunday’s important 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

Klopp’s side have not had the best record at Goodison Park over the years, with just two wins in seven derbies at Everton.

Here’s everything you need to know