Thousands and thousands of Scousers, year-on-year, pencil the Merseyside derby in their diary as soon as the fixtures are announced by Premier League chiefs – and it has been recently revealed that Liverpool and Everton were denied the chance to reschedule their upcoming meeting.
The two have already locked horns this season – their final hurrah at Everton’s home of Goodison Park, one of the greatest stadiums in Premier League history – as James Tarkowski’s late equaliser elicited utter bedlam from those in the home section.
Arne Slot’s men will be wanting to regain the bragging rights of the football-crazed city with a resounding win on home soil and, after an exhausting international break, they will get the chance to do so as they play host to their neighbours on Wednesday 2 April.
Held, of course, at Liverpool’s stomping ground, the home side will look to extend their lead at the summit of the Premier League while David Moyes and his entourage will want to affirm their place as far away from the relegation zone as possible.
But, according to an in-depth report from Mail Online, both clubs joined forces to ask the Premier League to bring the Anfield-based encounter forward a day to the Tuesday – and it’s for a reason that would have benefitted both sides and their aspirations for 2024/25.
Arsenal – who, at a push, are Liverpool’s solitary challenger for glory – are set to play Fulham on the Tuesday night before travelling to Goodison Park the following Saturday for a lunchtime kick-off and their final visit to the 39,572-seater.
As such, Liverpool were happy to push to bring the Merseyside derby forward in order to allow their local rivals more time to prepare for their clash with the Reds’ only title rivals. Incredibly, those of an Anfield persuasion will be hoping for an Everton win.
Their attempt to alter their fixture, however, was rejected by the Premier League chiefs, who were said to be ‘unmoved’ by the cheeky request. That’s because the set-in-stone date does not cause either team to play another match within 60 hours – the league-specific minimum period which is permitted.
Given that Everton supporters – and, in particular, the Gwladys Street on match days – have evidenced their distaste for the league’s higher-ups on the back of their points’ deduction, the boos may ring out louder when they play host to Mikel Arteta’s men.
Although Slot and Moyes, ideally, would have liked the additional day off to rest and recuperate, the fact that neither outfit remain in this season’s FA Cup – with the next round of fixtures scheduled on 29 and 30 March – could offset some of the potential disadvantages.
