So the fates have divined that David Moyes’s 600th game as a manager should take place at Anfield, a ground at which Everton have not won since September 1999 when Walter Smith was in charge, Kevin Campbell scored the only goal and three players were sent off. If we exclude FA Cup misadventures both teams are currently in fine form; Everton unbeaten in nine league games, with clean sheets in their last three, while Liverpool are unbeaten in six with five clean sheets.

In the case of the Blues this run has coincided with a gradual return to fitness of a long list of injured players, while, paradoxically, for the Reds theirs has largely coincided with the absence of their most potent striker, Torres, out with a knee injury since the Cup defeat to Reading and their influential midfielder Benayoun, who sustained a fractured rib in the same game. With Yakubu and Joey Yobo back from Africa, Mikel Arteta over his slight groin strain and Victor Anbichebe, Dan Gosling and Sylvain Distin all now injury free, competition for places on the Everton substitutes bench has suddenly and pleasingly stiffened up. Ink not yet dry on his new contract Louis Saha will be relishing the prospect of his encounter with Liverpool’s defence; rumour has it he deliberately missed a sitter at Wigan last week just so he could score his 100th goal in English football in front of the Kop!

Predicting Benitez’s team selection is as tricky as trying to herd cats but recently he has been unusually consistent. Carragher has been filling the right back position in the absence through injury of Glen Johnson and Aurelio, but the latter is allegedly close to fitness, so will Benitez tinker with the relatively settled defensive axis of Carragher-Skrtel-Kyrgiakos-Insua? The other question is over Aquilani, does he risk the gentle skills of the Italian midfielder in the hurly burly of a derby match or go with the more combative Lucas Leiva?

EVERTON Dixies60 starting XI (4-4-1-1): Howard; Neville ©, Senderos, Heitinga, Baines; Fellaini, Osman, Donovan, Pienaar; Cahill; Saha
Substitutes from: Nash, Anichebe, Arteta, Bilyaletdidov, Coleman, Distin, Duffy, Gosling, Rodwell, Vaughan, Yakubu, Yobo

LIVERPOOL probable (4-2-3-1): Reina; Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Skrtel, Insua; Lucas, Mascherano; Kyut, Gerrard ©, Riera; Ngog
Substitues from: Cavalieri, Aurelio, Agger, Aquilani, Rodriquez, Darby, Pacheco, Degen, Babel

Referee: Martin Atkinson                        Kick-off: 1245, Saturday