Strongest Liverpool XI To Play Against Everton – Kelly And Flanagan To Start?

Liverpool lock horns with cross town rivals Everton on Tuesday night at Anfield, on what is expected to be a thrilling encounter. The Reds from Merseyside are currently fourth on the table, just a point ahead of their Blues counterpart who sit sixth. Both the teams come into the pulsating encounter at the back of their respective FA Cup win, Liverpool beating Bournemouth by a 2-0 margin, while Everton overwhelming Stevenage by four goals.

Brendan Rodgers’ side will be looking to keep up their impressive home record of winning nine of their previous eleven games at Anfield but they clash against the team which boasts of conceding the fewest goals away from this campaign. Roberto Martinez’s side have only conceded 11 goals in their same number of travels away from home and have lost only once, against Manchester City at the Etihad in October. Liverpool have steamrolled past their opponents in recent games but against Everton they need to be at their very best to avoid dropping points. So can the Reds beat the Blues to hold firm onto their Champions League aspirations? We here at Soccersouls provide you Brendan Rodgers’ best possible starting line up.

Goalkeeping:

Simon Mignolet will man the Liverpool goal on Tuesday and going by recent form, the Belgian has looked quite nervous which doesn’t augur well for the home side. Everton’s build up play this season has simply been impeccable, irresistible at times and Mignolet will also have to deal with the shots from distance the Toffees will have on offer.

Defence:

Everton’s biggest weapon and best bet will be Romelu Lukaku up font leading the line on his own. The on loan Belgian from Chelsea has already netted nine times this season and will be looking to take on from where he left off, two goals in the Merseyside derby, in the thrilling 3-3 draw at Goodison Park. Jon Flanagan is expected to start in the left back slot with Jose Enrique still out and after a woeful performance from on-loan defender Cissokho last time around, expect Flanagan to start, while Martin Kelly might be drafted in the right back position.

Both the wing backs will have to barge forward whenever they can, putting pressure on Everton’s wingers. Daniel Agger still remains a casualty for the Reds which means Martin Skrtel is expected to partner Kolo Toure in the middle of the defence if Frenchman Sakho doesn’t pass a late fitness test.

Midfield:

Liverpool will need to ensure they don’t get over run in midfield thanks to the plethora of injury concerns in their squad. Steven Gerrard will agains be playing deep in the middle, looking to dictate the tempo of play and driving his team on. Jordan Henderson too fits in the scheme of things and will have to work his socks off to give freedom to the likes of Coutinho and Sterling on the wings. Coutinho agains will be centre of all attacks Liverpool thread throughout the game, barging inside and laying the balls off to Suarez and Sturridge up front.

Strikeforce:

Luis Suarez will again be in the heart of every attack Liverpool create throughout the game, the Uruguayan who has been simply sensational this season. Other than just scoring goals for fun, he has been extremely creative too. Together with Daniel Sturridge up front, the SAS partnership needs to work as a unit and make sure they score early into the game which has been known to send sparks flying right from the whistle.