Salah and Gomez benched as unfit Robertson misses out on Merseyside derby

The penultimate match of Double Gameweek 30+ is the 236th Merseyside derby, with Liverpool aiming to move within one win – or a Manchester City defeat – of the Premier League title.

Kick-off at Goodison Park is at 19:00 BST.

Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) failed to make Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI in the reverse fixture in December and is among the substitutes again this evening, along with Joe Gomez (£5.3m).

Andrew Robertson (£7.0m) misses out completely, meanwhile, with the Reds’ boss saying ahead of kick-off:

Some players couldn’t train in the last week – they trained, but not with the team – like Mo and Robbo, but yesterday they were in training and both looked really good. That’s why Mo is in the squad, Robbo not yet but on Wednesday [he will be] again.

For Robbo, it was better to have a proper session today and then be in for Wednesday, and for Mo it is the right thing to do it like this.

James Milner (£5.3m) starts at left-back in Robertson’s absence, while Roberto Firmino (£9.5m) and Sadio Mane (£12.5m) are joined by Takumi Minamino (£6.0m) in the front three.

Joel Matip (£5.2m) partners Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) at the heart of the defence, while Alisson (£6.2m) returns from injury and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.8m) starts again at right-back.

The team news for the blue half of Merseyside is also intriguing, with teenage forward Anthony Gordon (£4.5m) handed a start down the left flank and Gylfi Sigurdsson (£7.3m) benched for the first time in the league under Carlo Ancelotti.

Richarlison (£8.3m) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.5m) start up front as usual, however, for the injury-hit Toffees.

Calvert-Lewin was among the top four most-sold players of Gameweek 30+, while Salah suffered more transfers out than any other FPL midfielder.

Not one Liverpool or Everton asset was among the top 30 most-bought players of this current Gameweek.

Mane’s joint-highest FPL score of the season (15 points) came in the reverse fixture, which ended 5-2 to the Reds.

Everton XI: Pickford, Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Digne, Gordon, Gomes, Davies, Iwobi, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Milner, Fabinho, Henderson, Keita, Minamino, Mane, Firmino.

Double Gameweek 30+ FPL Lessons Learned

• Aston Villa 0-0 Sheffield United
• Manchester City 3-0 Arsenal
• Norwich City 0-3 Southampton
• Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Manchester United
• Watford 1-1 Leicester City
• Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 Arsenal
• West Ham United 0-2 Wolves
• Bournemouth 0-2 Crystal Palace
• Newcastle United 3-0 Sheffield United
• Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea
• Everton 0-0 Liverpool
• Manchester City 5-0 Burnley