Everton-Liverpool: Previewing the 207th Merseyside Derby

Everton and Liverpool will be vying for the fourth and final Champions League spot in the Premier League table when the two city rivals square off at Anfield for the 207th edition of the Merseyside Derby.

Rafa Benitez's men head into the match with a slim two-point cushion on Everton and a victory over their rivals would surely land a knockout punch to David Moyes' Champions League aspirations. As it currently stands now, Liverpool and Everton are sitting at 59 and 57 points respectively.  

The last affair between the two sides didn't fail to produce the usual controversy and excitement that fans have come to expect from the so-called Friendly Derby. Meeting last at Goodison Park, match referee Mark Clattenburg found himself facing severe scrutiny from the Everton faithful after several controversial decisions went against the Toffees.

Sami Hyypia kicked off the wacky sequences of controversial events when he had the great misfortune of putting one in the back of his own net after 37 minutes to give Everton the lead at the half time interval.

Perhaps an even greater talking point in the first half was a ridiculous challenge from Dirk Kuyt on Everton captain Phil Neville. Going in with a two-footed lunge, Kuyt could have easily landed Neville with a broken leg--the same type of injury that Arsenal's Eduardo da Silva suffered from Martin Taylor's challenge. Needless to say, the challenge only added fuel to the fire for what was shortly to come afterwards.

In the 54th minute, Tony Hibbert hauled down Steven Gerrard in the penalty area on their way to a loose ball. At the time, Clattenburg was getting ready to pull out a yellow card before Steven Gerrard quickly intevened in the offical's decison making. The result afterwards was disaster for Everton: Hibbert was sent off and Dirk Kuyt scored from the spot to put his side level. 

Playing with a man down for nearly the entire half, Phil Neville also joined Tony Hibbert as Everton were down to nine-men after a Lucas' goal-bound shot was parried by a deliberate Neville handball. Kuyt struck another shot past goalkeeper Tim Howard in the 90th minute to seal off a typically highly charged match.

To add to the mountain of dubious decisions, Moyes was further irritated after Jamie Carragher clearly dragged Joleon Lescott down in the penalty area at the closing stages, of course, only to be denied by Clattenburg.

"We deserved that penalty and if the other penalties were more blatant than that, then I am in the wrong game. I seem to see football differently. If [Clattenburg] doesn't see that you ask why," vented a fuming Moyes in post-game interview. 

"When you play consistently well as we have done all season, you automatically raise the bar of expectation," said Neville.

"That is a challenge we need to meet head on. Just doing enough now is no longer acceptable at Everton, and we must start to achieve now. For us to finish fourth in the best league in Europe would represent a wonderful achievement."

Everton will be without star midfielder Tim Cahill after he was ruled out for the rest of the season after hearing a 'click' in his foot during last weekend's encounter with West Ham at Goodison. Joseph Yobo (ankle), Andy Johnson (groin) and Steven Pienaar (flu) are expected to be avaliable after being out with their respective injuries. 

As for Rafa Benitez's men, Liverpool insist that they have not turned their attentions to the upcoming Champions League trip to the Emirates on Wednesday and will do everything in their power to stay in the top four in the Premier League.

"It means we must keep winning to make sure we are in the top four. A win and a five-point lead will be a good advantage but we have important games, especially away from home, so we know we must keep working hard," said the Liverpool boss.

"I will not be resting players ahead of the Champions League game at Arsenal. We have spoken all season about changes and rotation but we must field a strong team now to make sure [Liverpool] qualifies for the Champions League."

In fact, Benitez seemed to be relishing the opportunity to take part in another derby match against a challenging David Moyes side.

"I enjoy derbies, big games, especially if you win. But we want to win and so do they, and these are the really important games that I enjoy being involved in," said former Valencia boss.

"They have had a fine season and will keep going to the end. We expect that from David Moyes' teams."

After the controversial verbal abuse of referee Steve Bennett, Benitez will be without key holding midfield player Javier Mascherano at his disposal after recieving two yellow cards in the first half against Manchester United. Fernando Torres should be fit for the upcoming match after suffering a few midweek bruises from international duty in Spain. Torres was not featured in the first derby match between the two sides as he was out with an injury at the time.