Match Preview: Liverpool U21 vs Everton U21

Everton under-21s will have a chance to build on their Premier League International Cup victory in midweek as they take on Liverpool’s reserve side on Monday evening.

David Unsworth’s side qualified for the quarter-finals of the competition after a Sylvain Distin header propelled them to a 1-0 victory over Sunderland, and now they can get their league campaign back on track with a victory over their local rivals.

The game dubbed the ‘mini derby’ will take place at the Deva Stadium, home of Chester Football Club, instead of Liverpool U21’s usual home at Langtree Park in St Helens.

It is the first of two meetings between the sides in a month, and they are yet to meet this season in either the league or cup.

The young Blues’ league form has stalled in the past couple of league encounters as they’ve failed to score and only managed a single point from away trips to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, which has seen them slide to seventh in the Barclays U21 Premier League.

A heavy victory for the visitors could see them move into second in the table while Liverpool, who are two places above Everton on goal difference alone, could do the same.

But three points may prove difficult to come by, as the Reds’ youngsters have impressively won five of their last six games.

We’ll be bringing you live coverage of the game from Chester via our Twitter account (@RBMersey), and a match report will follow the final whistle.