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Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers may face the sack if he loses to Everton Getty Images

Everton host Liverpool in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Sunday, 4 October as the Toffees look to mount more pressure on Brendan Rodgers' men. The former Swansea man has been under immense scrutiny following Liverpool's unconvincing start to the season, with talks of him being replaced before the end of the campaign.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 1:30pm BST. Live coverage of the game will be available on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD.

Overview

Roberto Martinez has been flying high following an impressive result against West Bromwich Albion when they came back from being two goals down to win the contest 3-2. Romelu Lukaku is back in among the goals and is being ably supported by the players around him, which should bode well for the derby where Everton historically have a very bad record against their more decorated rivals.

With all the negativity surrounding Liverpool and their 1-1 draw with Sion in the Europa League, Everton come into the game as favourites to win, a rare accolade for the club in recent years. The likes of Gerard Deulofeu and Ross Barkley have come to the party, which has increased their penetration on the wings and midfield. Steven Naismith's hattrick against Chelsea also makes him a prime candidate for a start or a good option from the bench.

Meanwhile, Rodgers will be hoping that Daniel Sturridge's return will add more threat to their attack. The striker scored a brace on his first start for the club in the new season and his combination play with Philippe Coutinho is something that the manager will be banking on.

Injuries have played a massive part in their demise, with new signing Christian Benteke out with a hamstring strain while Jordan Henderson will be unavailable for over a month owing to a foot injury. However, all is not lost for Rodgers, who can go above Arsenal in the league with a win.

What managers say

Roberto Martinez: "I always feel that in order to be a winning team you need to be consistent with what you are trying to do. You can't just be negative and all of a sudden be a little bit more cautious in front of certain opposition. I don't feel that that's the way to get the gain for the long term. You need to create a mentality where we know exactly what we are as a team. We want to be an attacking team, a team that is built to score goals and win games and in the process you need to be well organised and defend well. It's not a science but I don't think you fulfil your potential by changing your approach from game to game and I don't think it's in our nature now at Everton to become over-cautious from one game to another."

Brendan Rodgers: "We will go into the game with every notion to perform and win well. If we get a wee bit of luck, if we earn a bit of good fortune, we can win the game. I am not worried and that is not being arrogant, or having been given any assurances. I will do my best with what I am working with and our notion is to win the game. It is about rebuilding a group again, new players and going again."

Betting odds

  • Everton Win: 17/12
  • Draw: 12/5
  • Liverpool Win: 9/5

Team news

Everton

Possible XI: Howard; Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Galloway; McCarthy, Barry; Deulofeu, Barkley, Naismith; Lukaku.

Liverpool

Possible XI: Mignolet; Sakho, Skrtel, Can; Moreno, Lucas, Milner, Clyne; Coutinho; Ings, Sturridge.

Liverpool FC