Stats Below provided by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index
Kick off 13:30
Everton needed a stroke of luck against QPR in their last game to leave with a point, with their equalizing goal coming from a Sylvain Distin header which rebounded off the base of the post and in off QPR keeper Julio Cesar
This Merseyside derby will see the top two crossers in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index go head to head. Leighton Baines has delivered 41 crosses while Steven Gerrard has delivered 37, with each being credited two assists.
Baines and Gerrard are also two of the top three Englishmen in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for passing, with 224 and 261 passes completed in their opponent’s half respectively. Tellingly for English football, Gerrard who is the top English player for passes completed is still over 100 passes behind Arsenal’s Spanish midfielder Santi Carzola who has completed 384 passes
New Everton signing Kevin Mirallas is surely due a change of luck soon, and must be hoping the Merseyside derby will be the place for it. The striker has had 24 shots on goal with an impressive 71% on target, but has just one goal for his efforts this season.
Phil Jagielka impressed for Everton against QPR, and has now jumped up to third in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for clearances having made 17 in 8 games so far this season
Raheem Sterling continued his coming of age as he scored the only goal as Liverpool beat Reading 1-0 in their last game
Glen Johnson has had a typically attacking start to the season, and has had 13 efforts at goal, more than any other defender in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index
Luis Suarez continues to terrorise defenders by running at them this season. Suarez has completed 21 dribbles more than any other player and 8 ahead of second place Arouna Kone
Suarez had nine shots at goal against Reading, the joint second highest for a player in any one game this season. Tellingly, however, only three were on target
Brad Jones, deputizing for Pepe Reina against Reading, must have felt that he drew the short straw coming into that game. The eight saves he made was the most either Liverpool keeper has had to make this season.
The 61.98 miles covered by Liverpool as a squad in that game was their second highest total this season, led by Joe Allen’s 6.67 miles, the third highest from an individual Liverpool player this season and enough to keep him second in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for overall distance covered with 50.73 miles.
Steven Gerrard is also in the index’s top ten for distance covered with 48.43 miles covered, enough for 8th place