Women's Continental Cup Preview: Everton vs Liverpool | Merseyside Derby

Everton face lower league opposition Liverpool in the third of three matches of the Continental Cup on Wednesday, November 18th at 2 p.m. ET/7 p.m. BST, with the game being played at Walton Hall Park.

After a difficult stretch of games that has seen Everton draw twice and lose twice, the Toffees have a chance on Wednesday not only to get back on track but to defeat bitter rivals Liverpool. Wednesday’s match was supposed to be the final game of the group stage, but Everton’s match against Manchester United on November 4th was postponed due to poor weather conditions affecting the venue; the game has yet to be rescheduled.

Ahead of Wednesday’s fixture, Everton have dropped to fourth place in the league table with 14 points (three behind United for first). Everton’s blistering start seems like it happened ages ago, with the Toffees desperate for a win to get their season back on track. This will be Everton’s first match against Liverpool in all competitions this season.

With Liverpool being relegated last season, the two clubs from Merseyside will not meet in the league during the 2020/21 campaign. Despite finding themselves in the Championship, Liverpool are a crafty team that, on any given day, have the ability of competing with even the top Super League teams. In the first matchday of the Continental Cup, Liverpool dismantled league leaders United 3–1.

Despite an impressive opening to the cup competition, Liverpool lost 3–0 to Manchester City two Wednesdays ago and have not been as convincing in the league as they would have liked. After eight games played in the Championship, the Reds are in third place and trail Durham by three points. Still firmly within reach of the top spot, which would see them earn promotion back to the WSL, Liverpool would have hoped to be leading the second tier at this point.

With Valérie Gauvin being the only injury for Everton, and the team looking at a two-week break for European Qualification, Manager Willie Kirk will have to be strategic about his starting XI. Will he look to give his starters, Sandy MacIver, Izzy Christiansen, Lucy Graham and Simone Magill, a chance to improve upon a dreary performance last weekend? Or will he opt to rest some of the regulars in favor of younger players such as Grace Clinton, Damaris Egurrola, Poppy Pattinson and Molly Pike?

On the other side of the technical line, Liverpool Coach Vicky Jepson has the likes of Rinsola Babajide and Rachel Furness up top, Missy Bo Kearns in midfield and Niamh Fahey and Leighanne Robe anchoring the defense. Liverpool are a physical and attack-minded team; Everton are in for one of the most intense matches of the season.

Last Meeting

It will have been just over one year since these two rivals met in a competitive fixture — the last meeting between these two sides was on November 17, 2019. A 1–0 away win for Everton, the Toffees defeated the Reds at Anfield, an added bonus to a spirited affair. The two sides had their February 9th match of last season postponed due to inclement weather and saw the final meeting of the season, March 25, cancelled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Match Details

Competition: FA Women’s Continental League Cup Matchday Three of Three

Date and start time: Wednesday, November 18th at 2 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. BST

Stadium: Walton Hall Park, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 2,200 (behind closed doors)

How to Watch/Listen

TV & Radio: N/A

Match Centre: evertontv

Live stream: Everton Youtube channel

Lineups