Everton U21s vs. Liverpool U21s: Date, Time, Live Stream and Viewing Info
Everton and Liverpool will resume their rivalry on Wednesday, as the two Merseyside clubs will come face-to-face on Wednesday for their second under-21 Premier League matches of the 2015-16 campaign. Sky Sports 1 will provide full coverage of the match, while LFCTV GO will add a live stream option for the fans.
Both teams started the season with a loss, so Wednesday's clash will be pivotal in order to get out of the relegation zone in a hurry. More importantly, the first derby of the season is about bragging rights, so expect a physical, hard-fought battle.
Here's everything you need to know about Wednesday's match.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Date: Wednesday, August 19
Time: 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET
Venue: Merseyrail Community Stadium, Merseyside
Tv info: The Match will be broadcast on Sky Sports 1
Preview
Liverpool were unlucky to lose their first U21 match of the season, as Chelsea's Tammy Abraham scored deep into stoppage time to clinch a 1-0 win. The Reds defence put together an excellent performance worthy of a clean sheet, an early indication Liverpool will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
Sergi Canos was one of the standouts for the Reds in that match, coming close to scoring on several occasions, and along with midfielder Cameron Brannagan, he's expected to lead Liverpool's attack to glory.
A number of loan deals and first-team promotions have weakened this year's U21 crop of players, and speaking to Liverpoolfc.com's Steve Hunter, Brannagan acknowledged the same fate could be in store for him:
"Last season didn’t start too well for me and I didn’t do as well as I could, but then as the season went on we got stronger as a group and produced some good performances.
Maybe at some point I may go on loan and play some men’s football and then hopefully try and work my way into the first-team squad, but I know how important is to keep working hard and improve.
"
Other names to keep an eye on include Jerome Sinclair and Harry Wilson, with the latter showing his fine form by winning the award for best forward at the 2015 Otten Cup, per the event's official website:
"Harry Wilson from Liverpool got the trophy for best forward: This quick attacker is strong when he receives the ball into space, but also has a good technical ability and sees the right solution when there’s less space. Plus: knows how to score goals."
The Reds are the favourites entering Wednesday's clash, but Everton have plenty of talented players in their own right and will be looking for a derby upset. The Toffees suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in their opener, falling victim to an in-form Alex Pritchard.
Everton actually played well, and the final score was greatly exaggerated.
Ryan Ledson is the star of the Toffees' U21 squad, and he was recently featured in the Daily Mail's Adam Shergold's list of players to watch this season:
"The central midfielder has been in the Goodison Park academy since the age of five and is regarded as one of the club’s bright young hopes. He made a first-team debut in the Europa League game with Krasnodar last season and has represented England at under 18 level. He was captain of the Young Lions team that lifted the U17 European Championships last year.
"
Along with Kieran Dowell and Sam Byrne, who scored Everton's lone goal against Spurs, Ledson should provide the Toffees with plenty of attacking options this season. The youngster loves to barge into the box and wreak havoc, and look for him to do just that on Wednesday.
With the likes of Joe Maguire and Daniel Cleary, the Reds have an abundance of talent in defence, and you have to assume Everton will find it difficult to muster many chances against players of that caliber.
Add in the pace and creativity Wilson, Canos and Sinclair bring to the table, and Liverpool should be able to pressure their rivals early and often. Anything can happen in a derby like this, but the Reds should win this one.
Prediction: Everton 1-3 Liverpool
