Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park. The Reds, who head into this match on the back of a real high following their stunning 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League in midweek, have the chance to climb up to second place with three points here.

There may be less to play for on the face of it for the Toffees, though it must be remembered that a seventh-placed finish - as was the case last season - will likely mean a route into the Europa League. Everton are fast running out of time to close the gap on Burnley two spots above them, however, and anything less than victory here will effectively see their campaign peter out.

EVERTON TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Jagielka, Baines; Schneiderlin, Davies; Bolasie, Rooney, Walcott; Tosun

SUBS: Robles, Martina, Gueye, Niasse, Funes Mori, Calvert-Lewin, Baningime

Starting with a look at the home team, Sam Allardyce makes just the one change as Tom Davies comes in for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Toffees boss suggested that he would go a little less attacking today compared to last weekend when being completely taken apart by Manchester City, and that proves to be the case as a midfielder is brought in for a forward. The formation appears to be a 4-2-3-1, led by an improving Cenk Tosun.

Davies did well when brought off against the bench against Man City a week ago and will now sit in defensive midfield alongside Morgan Schneiderlin, who is not exactly a fan favourite around these parts. Idrissa Gueye is back in the Everton squad this afternoon, but he is clearly not 100% fit as he is only included among the subs. Allardyce would have loved to have had the Senegalese sitting in front of his back four today.

Ashley Williams was eligible today following the conclusion of his suspension, but he is nowhere to be seen, while fellow centre-back Eliaquim Mangala is still nursing an injury problem. Phil Jagielka and Michael Keane are therefore used in the heart of defence, flanked by regular full-back duo Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman. A few other injury absentees for the hosts, meanwhile, as Mason Holgate, James McCarthy and Gylfi Sigurdsson are also out.

LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Karius; Clyne, Lovren, Van Dijk, Klavan; Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Mane, Ings, Solanke

SUBS: Mignolet, Firmino, Moreno, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Masterson, Alexander-Arnold, Jones

It was always going to be interesting to see exactly what sort of side Jurgen Klopp would field for this 231st Merseyside derby. Well we now have our answer - a pretty mixed XI in terms of quality, with five changes being made from the 3-0 win over Man City a few days ago. Among those to drop out is Mohamed Salah, who picked up an injury in the second half of that match and was always likely to sit this one out.

Roberto Firmino, without a goal against Everton in past meetings, drops down to the bench but Sadio Mane remains in the starting XI. There is the rarest of Premier League starts for Danny Ings alongside him - not since October 2015 has that been the case - and Dominic Solanke also has a chance to impress. A makeshift front three to say the least, then, with the second leg against Man City clearly taking priority.

Elsewhere, there is also a first appearance of the 2017-18 season for Nathaniel Clyne at right-back. On the opposite flank there is a surprise recall for Ragnar Klavan, rather than Alberto Moreno, with Trent Alexander-Arnold named among the subs and Andrew Roberson being rested entirely. Due to Joel Matip's injury troubles, Klopp has little choice but to stick with Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren in the heart of defence.

Nathaniel Clyne makes his first appearance of the season this afternoon as one of five Liverpool changes. Ragnar Klavan, Danny Ings, Dominic Solanke and Georginio Wijnaldum are also drafted in, as Jurgen Klopp rotates his side in-between a couple of crucial Champions League clashes with Manchester City. Everton make just the one change, meanwhile - midfielder Tom Davies replacing forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

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Liverpool also have a couple of academy graduates on their bench this afternoon so, as Allardyce eluded to before the match, this is not a bad time to face the Reds. The Toffees have less to focus on in the remaining six weeks or so of the domestic season - seventh place in the Premier League is pretty much their only remaining target. Everton are currently ninth, six points adrift of Burnley in that de facto Europa League spot after playing a game more.

It has been a disappointing campaign for Everton and it is now looking almost certain to end with them finishing below their minimum target of seventh. After spending big last summer they were expected to seriously challenge for the top six, but that has not proved to be the case and their European campaign ended before it had ever truly begun. Allardyce has since been appointed in place of Ronald Koeman, though the jury remains out.

Relegation has long been out of the question for Everton so Allardyce did achieve his first task, but the style of football has not been great and supporters would like to see a new man brought in at the end of the season. Allardyce puts talk of his future being in doubt down to 'social media rumours', but the bottom line remains that the Toffees do not appear to be going anywhere fast based on performances since he took charge.

Perhaps today's result will have a big say in whether Everton chiefs decide to stick or twist in the summer, with Marco Silva and Paulo Fonseca the two frontrunners to take charge. The Toffees have lost three of their last five matches in the top flight, most recently going down 3-1 to Man City a week ago when pretty much rolling over in the first half. The Citizens left here with a record amount of possession for an away side, completely bossing things.

That has been a theme under Allardyce, in fact, as they have also been thrashed 5-1 by Arsenal and 4-0 by Tottenham Hotspur since the turn of the year. Just when things were starting to look particularly bleak for Allardyce, though, his side picked up back-to-back wins over Brighton & Hove Albion and Stoke City prior to the international break, lifting some of the weight off his shoulders.

That win over Stoke was just the Toffees' second on their travels all season, secured thanks to a couple of Cenk Tosun goals. The Turkish striker needed a bit of time to settle on Merseyside, but he headed into the international break with four goals in three games, which has since become four in four after his blank against Man City here a week ago. Still, Allardyce will take the January signing's improved form as a big plus.

This meeting with Liverpool is the last of what you would describe as 'difficult games' for Everton, with five relegation-threatened teams left to play. The irony being, of course, that you tend to want to avoid those sides at this time of the year because they always seem to have that added drive to pick up points when scrapping for their lives. The Toffees will still be favourites to pick up maximum points from those games, though, so seventh place is not out of the question just yet.

Seven of Everton's eight defeats here this season have come against a big-six club; the exception being a 1-0 loss to Burnley here in October - what a big result that could turn out to be in the grand scheme of things. Defeat for Allardyce today would make him just the second manager to lose 200 Premier League games after Harry Redknapp, who was beaten 238 times in the competition.

Ahead of today's clash Sports Mole compiled a hybrid XI made up of players from Everton and Liverpool, using only those that were expected to be available today.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Everton have won one of their last 22 league meetings with Liverpool, drawing 10 and losing 11 of those, and are winless in 14 since a 2-0 victory in October 2010. The Reds are unbeaten in 16 when taking all competitions into account, having extended that run with a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture and a 2-1 victory in the FA Cup a few months back.

Liverpool, who are enjoying their longest ever unbeaten run in this fixture, sit third in the Premier League ahead of kickoff and are within two points of second-placed Manchester United. Victory for the Reds will therefore move them into the runners-up spot, which is now the best any team below Manchester City can hope for, where they will remain for at least a few more hours.

Man City and Man United are due to face off a little later at the Etihad Stadium, so the Reds will be hopeful of ending the day in second. They are still not assured of a top-four finish just yet, as Chelsea in fifth can close the gap to seven points if they win their game in hand, but they can almost taste back-to-back Champions League campaigns for the first time since 2009.

Rather than looking over their shoulder at those outside the top four, Klopp's men will instead have all eyes on second place. That, along with a spot in the last four of the Champions League, means that this will be considered a successful campaign, regardless of the trophy drought potentially being extended. Success on the European stage should not be ruled out just yet, though, particularly on the back of the display against Man City a few days ago.

Liverpool blew their opponents away with three goals in 19 first-half minutes, and now it is a case of seeing things through at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night. The Reds showed in the second half of the first leg that they are now defensively a lot more stable than in the first half of the season, with a clean sheet record to back that up. Say it quietly, but Klopp may well be building a title-winning side here.

The Reds have won three matches in a row in all competitions and lost just one of their last 11. Goalscoring has never been an issue, with 75 being scored in the Premier League alone, but they have also looked a lot better at the back since Virgil van Dijk arrived in a big-money move three months ago, keeping a clean sheet in seven of their last 11 matches. The most impressive of all was the shutout against Man City's cast of all-star attackers a few days back.

Fifteen points from the last 18 on offer is also a very good return in the Premier League, dropping points only to Manchester United a month ago. Only Chelsea remain of the big boys between now and the end of the season, too, so it will take an almighty collapse for the Reds to drop out of the top four. Victory for Liverpool today, by the way, and it will be the first time since 1989-90 that they have recorded 10 or more away league wins in successive top-flight campaigns.

The Reds have lost only two of their last 11 away league matches and have dropped points seven times in 16 outings overall. There is no Mohamed Salah in their ranks today, though - a player responsible for 15 of their Premier League points, which is more than any other individual in the division. Sadio Mane enjoys playing here, netting on his last two visits in the top flight with Southampton and then Liverpool.

DID YOU KNOW? There have been 21 red cards shown in Premier League meetings between these sides - the most of any fixture. Everton have picked up 14 of those, which is also the most for one side against another in the competition. It may well be a busy afternoon for man in the middle Michael Oliver.

With kickoff at Goodison Park now just a couple of minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Sam Allardyce: "It's an advantage we could possibly take. It's a good time to play a derby for us in between the two Champions League games. But Jurgen has a very strong squad and they haven't let him down all season. If he changes his squad it will still be strong and fresh. We have to stand on the front foot, be brave and be clinical if we get an opportunity. I've played Liverpool with other teams I've been with and we've won or drawn - and I've won at the big boys before so I know how to do it, but it's a derby which makes it extra difficult."

Jurgen Klopp: "Everton will be motivated on the highest level. They have a very good home record. They are a really good team with Yannick Bolasie back, Theo Walcott, Cenk Tosun in a good moment. They are altogether except Sigurdsson. That's a good football team and they are very experienced in defence. In all of my derbies there's always been an overly hard tackle. I hope we can go without that today. But we need to be ready for hard challenges, it's a derby."

KICKOFF! We are up and running in the 231st Merseyside derby. Liverpool are the side in better form, aiming to climb up to second place in the Premier League, while rivals Everton are still hoping to finish in seventh.

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The home side are asking most of the questions early on here, knocking the ball around in the middle and aiming to get it forward into the box. Coleman has one cross blocked and Baines did not even bother, instead going short but seeing Bolasie lose possession.

A reminder that this is Danny Ings's first start since October 2015, some 916 days ago. Dominic Solanke is another who will want to shine on this rare start, alongside the only survivor of Liverpool's famed fab three in Sadio Mane.

Plenty of slipping and sliding due to the wet surface of the Goodison Park pitch. Not seen any attempt just yet but do not be surprised to see a couple of long-range shots before either keeper is given a chance to settle into the match.

Everton not afraid to get the ball into the box whenever they can, looking to find Tosun or Rooney. Walcott and Bolasie appear to have swapped flanks now. Ragnar Klavan - a centre-back by trade - being used at left-back for Everton today.

The first shot of this Merseyside derby clash is an absolute shocker. Wijnaldum's first touch set him up perfectly to put his foot through the ball from 30 yards, but the subsequent effort ended high in the stands behind the goal.

CLOSE! First opportunity of the match falls to Solanke. Milner managed to turn the ball back into the middle, where the former Chelsea ace was waiting to meet the ball with his head, but he could not guide it on target - not easy.

Tosun smashes the ball from the edge of the box, but it was always destined to fly over Karius's crossbar. That is an attempt each at either end now - can you really class that Wijnaldum shot as an attempt?! - as we await the breakthrough goal.

SAVE! Great save from Jordan Pickford! The ball bounced around in the Everton box and Solanke stuck out a foot, only for the English keeper to get two hands to it and push it aside. Closest we have come to a goal so far.

Solanke should have been doing better from that earlier chance. Up the other end, Klavan miscues his clearance and the ball skips a couple of yards wide of the post. Nearly an own goal and all of a sudden the home fans are now fired up.

Liverpool were starting to dominate the game but now it is all very even once again, with Everton seeing plenty of the ball over the past few minutes. Closest we have come to a goal so far was through that Solanke chance a few minutes ago.

SAVE! Superb stop from Loris Karius to keep out Yannick Bolasie's curler. The winger cut inside and sent his shot towards the corner of the net, only for the Liverpool keeper to dive across and get a couple of fingertips to it.

Bolasie and Solanke both coming close to making a breakthrough in the opening quarter of the match, being denied by Pickford and Karius respectively. An evenly-contested match on the basis of the last 10 minutes or so.

Klopp will be pretty impressed with the display from his side so far, having changed half his outfield lineup on the back of the win over Man City. The Reds are now back in control of the game, without really creating too much.

SAVE! Another decent Jordan Pickford save, this time to tip wide a Milner curler. A sense that the visitors are beginning to turn the screw a little now, with half an hour of this 231st Merseyside derby already played.

Liverpool have seen close to three-quarters of the ball so far at Goodison Park and have managed to get a couple of shots on target. Pickford made a good save to keep out Milner, but Solanke should have got the better of the English keeper.

A heavy touch from Rooney in midfield allows Solanke to steal the ball. Before the forward could charge forward his compatriot took him out, but managed to get away without a yellow card. The Toffees struggling to get a foothold on the match at the moment.

SAVE! Liverpool win a free kick 30 yards from goal and only one man was going to take this one. Van Dijk puts his foot through the ball and found the target, but it was well read by Pickford, who got down to collect it.

The Reds have been the more dangerous side in the first half here and probably should have a lead to show for it. The Toffees, without a win in 16 attempts against their opponents, have been unable to sustain too much possession.

Wayne Rooney with a chipped pass toward Cenk Tosun in the box, which Karius was happy to gobble up. A sense that this first half is beginning to fizzle out a little now, with a little over five minutes of normal time left to play.

Everton have been extremely sloppy in possession over the past 10 minutes, and even when they do get on the ball there does not seem to be many options. The Toffees need to get a couple of players higher up the field if they are to worry Liverpool.

Last 10 minutes of this match have been pretty poor, truth be told. Liverpool still the side in control of proceedings but they are not doing enough to get Solanke, Ings and Mane on the ball in areas where it truly matters.

Henderson has plenty of space to run into but opts to pass it to Mane. The Senegalese had only one thought in his mind, but could only send his shot from 25 yards high and wide. No stoppage time expected to be played at the end of the half.

The whistle sounds for half time at Goodison Park, where it remains goalless at the midway point. Loris Karius and Jordan Pickford both had saves to make, but it was not a first half packed with too much quality in an attacking sense.

Jurgen Klopp rotated half of his outfield starters on the back of the 3-0 win over Manchester City three days ago, handing a first start to Danny Ings since October 2015 and a rare outing for Dominic Solanke alongside him. The first chance would fall the way of Solanke, who pounced on a loose ball but could not find a way past Jordan Pickford.

Pickford was also required later in the half to tip aside a James Milner shot, before positioning himself well to get fully behind Virgil van Dijk's 30-yard free kick. Arguably the best save of the first half was made at the other end of the field, however, as Loris Karius did brilliantly to dive across and get his fingertips to Yannick Bolasie's edge-of-the-box curler.

Everton, beaten in three of their last five Prem outings heading into this one, failed to really get to grips with the game in the first half as they relinquished nearly three quarters of possession. It would not be at all surprising to see Sam Allardyce make a change at the break, so let us remind ourselves of the options available to both him and Jurgen Klopp...

BENCH WATCH!

EVERTON SUBS: Robles, Martina, Gueye, Niasse, Funes Mori, Calvert-Lewin, Baningime

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Firmino, Moreno, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Masterson, Alexander-Arnold, Jones

RESTART! We are back under way on Merseyside, where neither manager has made a half-time change. Everton will be looking to produce an improved performance over the next 45 minutes, as they seek a rare win over their arch-rivals.

Seamus Coleman penalised for his strong challenge, allowing Milner to thump the ball into the box from a deep free kick. The initial delivery is dealt with, as is the next on, and Everton are able to clear their lines once again.

Some nice play by Liverpool in and around the Everton box, which ultimately comes to little. Home fans growing restless now because their side are simply allowing the visitors to play this game at their own tempo. The Toffees incredibly flat.

Seemed to be about a hundred passes in that Liverpool move prior to Milner's miscued first-time cross, which resulted in a goal kick. Sam Allardyce must surely be tempted to make a change; this one is not staying goalless for much longer.

The Toffees will be happy to have taken the sting out of the match a little over the past couple of minutes. Could be a long 35 minutes or so if the match continues in this manner, though, because the hosts do not look like scoring.

Milner feeds the ball to Ings in the box but the striker was unable to work the shooting position, and then lost the ball when looking to tee up a teammate. Keane forced to knock the ball out for a throw under pressure from Clyne.

No goal attempts of any note in this second half so far. The only disappointment for Klopp will be that his side have been unable to make their superiority count for much, as Milner fails to make the most of his side's latest opening.

EVERTON SUB! Wayne Rooney is not happy at all after being subbed on the hour. A change had to be made, though, with defensive midfielder Idrissa Gueye - still not fully fit - being introduced to protect the back four.

EVERTON SUB! Rooney has now left the Everton bench and gone down the tunnel. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the next player to be introduced for the hosts, taking over from Yannick Bolasie for the remaining 28 minutes.

Nearly 20 minutes of the second half played here and we are still awaiting our first attempt since the restart - on target or otherwise. Getting to the stage now where you start to wonder which side this result would favour - arguably Liverpool.

Not a great deal of action at all in this second half. Not been the most memorable of Merseyside derbies so far, although if I remember correctly that was the case last season and Sadio Mane changed all that with a late winner.

LIVERPOOL SUB! Not a great surprise to see Klopp make a change, as his side have lacked any real threat over the past 10 or 15 minutes. It also gives James Milner a breather, with both players expected to feature at the Etihad on Tuesday.

SHOT! Liverpool's grip on the game has only grown stronger since the restart, having now seen 72% of the ball. Oxlade-Chamberlain with the first shot of the second half, which is slightly miscued and ends over the bar.

Klopp readying another change now, with Firmino the next player to be introduced. This has been a walk in the park for the visitors this afternoon. It might be goalless but the Reds have barely had to get out of first gear all match.

LIVERPOOL SUB! A winner would be the cherry on the cake for Klopp, but he will not be at all concerned if it does indeed finish goalless. Sadio Mane is the player to make way for Roberto Firmino in the forward line.

Get the sense that this one is simply destined to finish goalless. Liverpool have done more to warrant the three points but Everton have done enough to keep their opponents out. Calvert-Lewin's shot deflects wide of the target, lifting the hosts a little.

Everton's best moment of the half by quite some distance. Davies flicks the ball through to Baines and the full-back has plenty of time and space to work with. His cross is just out of Tosun's way, however, and the chance goes begging.

EVERTON SUB! Young midfielder Beni Baningime is on for his second appearance of 2018, taking over from Tom Davies. All three changes made by the Toffees now; Klopp still has one more available to choose from should he wish.

Everton desperately unlucky as Tosun's pass - or possible a miscued shot - was heading to Walcott at the back post. The winger skidded on the wet surface, though, and could not get on the end of the ball. The Toffees alive all of a sudden!

Not sure why it took the hosts this long to come out of their shell. A pretty bland Merseyside derby up until this point but it has at least set us up for what should be an entertaining finale - this one could still go either way.

Baines hangs up a cross into the middle for Karius to collect. The Toffees, much like Liverpool in the opening 15 minutes of the half, knocking the ball around in the final third and desperately seeking a killer opening.

CHANCE! Big, big chance for Everton to win the game late on. Walcott picks out Tosun at the back post, and the header is so nearly helped over the line by Coleman near the back post. Technically two chances there for the hosts.

CHANCE! Liverpool starting to crumble as Everton create chance after chance. The ball falls perfectly for Calvert-Lewin, who failed to keep his composure nine yards out and instead sent the shot wide of the post.

We are into the second of three added-one minutes at Goodison Park. A reminder that Liverpool won the game a little later than this in last season's corresponding fixture, though the man who bagged that - Mane - is now off the field.

Everton certainly improved in the final 10 minutes of the match and will argue that they did enough to snatch the win in the end, though a draw seems about right on the balance of things. Neither team will be particularly upset by the outcome of the match, but for the neutral it was hardly a classic.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the 231st Merseyside derby. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from Goodison Park can be found elsewhere on the site shortly. Thanks for joining!