After expertly negating a potential banana-skin tie away to Bournemouth in the FA Cup, Liverpool are now set to welcome fierce rivals Everton in one of the most anticipated Merseyside derbies in recent memory.
The two sides played out arguably the most exciting game of the Premier League so far, at Goodison Park earlier on in the campaign, and the clash on Tuesday night at Anfield promises to be another spectacle with both teams heading into the game in fine form.
Goalkeeper
Despite conceding three goals in the reverse fixture against Everton, Simon Mignolet probably had his best performance in a Reds shirt in that particular game and the Belgian international looks set to take his place in starting line-up against the Toffees, replacing Brad Jones in goal.
Defenders
Mamadou Sakho has been curiously missing for Liverpool despite being passed fit to play against Stoke City a few weeks ago and a return to starting lineup for the defender on Tuesday cannot be ruled out. However, if the Frenchman does not feature, then Martin Skrtel is expected to be partnered by Kolo Toure in central defence.
Daniel Agger, Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique have all been ruled out due to injuries, but Jon Flanagan could make a start after returning to full fitness recently. The versatile young man could replace either Aly Cissokho or Martin Kelly at one of the full-back positions.
Midfield
Rodgers is likely to go with a five man midfield after seeing his side struggle against Villa in their previous Premier League match. With Lucas out for the foreseeable future, Joe Allen was expected to replace the Brazilian at centre midfield. However, the Welshman is also struggling with a hamstring injury and could miss out as well.
If Allen is not passed fit for the clash, then Steven Gerrard will probably drop deep, allowing Philippe Coutinho to play more centrally alongside Jordan Henderson, with either Raheem Sterling or Victor Moses taking the place of the Brazilian on the wings.
Strikers
Daniel Sturridge will probably be starting in one of the wide positions but will certainly drift inside to provide support to Luis Suarez. The duo have been devastating this season and their link-up play will surely cause the Everton defence quite a few problems.
(4-5-1): Mignolet; Cissokho, Skrtel, Toure, Flanagan; Sturridge, Henderson, Gerrard, Coutinho, Sterling; Suarez
