Roy Hodgson might have left Anfield, although it hasn’t put an end to Liverpool’s poor run of form, with the Reds losing 2-1 at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday, a result that leaves them just four points clear of the relegation zone.

Kenny Dalglish will remain the popular choice to succeed Hodgson permanently, although the Scot knows that the stakes couldn’t be higher for Sunday’s Merseyside derby as Liverpool look to end a three-match losing run.

Once again, Steven Gerrard will be suspended for the visit of the Toffees, although Dalglish will have been encouraged by the fact that Fernando Torres was back on the scoresheet, with the Spaniard playing a full ninety minutes against the Tangerines.

However, it will be interesting to see whether the Liverpool manager persists with Christian Poulsen and Milan Jovanovic for Sunday’s game.

Everton are missing talisman Tim Cahill, with the Australian on duty for his country at the Asian Nations Cup and David Moyes will be cursing the fact that his best player misses such a crucially important match.

At least the Toffees have succeeded in warding off some surprise interest in Phil Neville from Tottenham, with Moyes making it clear that his captain is very much part of the furniture at Goodison Park.

The manager will hope that last weekend’s 5-1 win at Scunthope was not a false dawn, although the Scot has now seen Louis Saha score in both of his past two matches, while Jermaine Beckford can etch his name into Everton folklore if he scores the winner in this game.

Match odds:

Liverpool, 13/10 with William Hill

Draw, 23/10 with Totesport

Everton, 11/4 with Victor Chandler