The Egyptian is struggling by his high standards – but there are some good reasons why

Liverpool will face Everton at Goodison Park tonight with the Blues looking to get more space between themselves and the relegation zone while Klopp's team are aiming to stay in contention for the Premier League title

EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool legend Didi Hamann recalls making his Merseyside derby debut in controversial circumstances and details what Liverpool need to beat Everton on Wednesday night

Liverpool will face Everton at Goodison Park tonight with the Blues looking to get more space between themselves and the relegation zone while Klopp's team are aiming to stay in contention for the Premier League title

EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool legend Didi Hamann recalls making his Merseyside derby debut in controversial circumstances and details what Liverpool need to beat Everton on Wednesday night

Liverpool head to Goodison Park tonight to take on Everton in the Merseyside derby - so we simulated the clash on EA FC 24

Liverpool head to Goodison Park tonight to take on Everton in the Merseyside derby - so we simulated the clash on EA FC 24

Liverpool are in a "must-win" position for the rest of the Premier League season as they look to take the title race to the last day of the season starting with a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton in the Merseyside Derby

Latest Liverpool injury news ahead of the Premier League clash against Everton

Liverpool are in a "must-win" position for the rest of the Premier League season as they look to take the title race to the last day of the season starting with a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton in the Merseyside Derby

Latest Liverpool injury news ahead of the Premier League clash against Everton

The Reds boss has called for calm heads from his players in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park

The Reds boss has called for calm heads from his players in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park

The Reds boss has called for calm heads from his players in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park

The Reds boss has called for calm heads from his players in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park

Despite the need to be practically perfect in the five remaining games, Liverpool has a strong chance at the title due to its common rival being overworked and exhausted. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola recently expressed his anger towards broadcasters after being forced to play just 66 hours after its Champions League loss to Real Madrid.

The Spaniard went as far as to say that he will have to keep his star players “in the fridge” if his side wants to avoid fatigue ahead of another huge game that could swing the title towards any of the three teams in the running. Two of these stars are 27-year-old Rodri and 29-year-old Bernardo Silva who sent the side into the FA Cup final on Saturday.

"I wasn’t fine at all," Silva stated after the Madrid game. "It’s too much. It wasn’t a level field because the FA didn’t give us a chance to recover. It looks like they don’t care because we’ve said it many times."

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This is similar to Rodri’s comments in recent weeks in which he pleaded for a rest, stating he was 'tired' after appearing in over 40 games this season. "If a player doesn’t want to play then he’s not going to play," Guardiola said ruthlessly at the time, after which he started Matheus Nunes instead of the Spanish international.

In The Citizen's knockout game against Real Madrid, both Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne asked to come off before the end of 120 minutes. Haaland, in fact, only played a total of 90 minutes despite the game being crucial in the club's now-failed treble-chasing season.

It is clear that the scheduling has taken its toll on a City side that was not only the favorite for the Champions League but also leading the way in all of the competitions the side found itself in. Now after being knocked out of the EFL Cup by Newcastle in just the third round and kicked out of Europe by Madrid, the best the club can hope for is the double of the league and FA Cup.

Despite the side's fatigue, Guardiola’s side faces Brighton on Thursday which is a side it hasn’t lost to since May 2021. In fact, this is the only time the Seagulls have beaten City in its history. A loss, though, is not all-important in a title race; a draw could be all that is needed to help Liverpool to the title and Brighton held City to a 1-1 result just last season.

After Brighton, City faces Nottingham Forest, who has managed one draw in three meetings. Next is Wolves, who beat City in the reverse fixture, and then Fulham who has never beaten City in its history. The final two games are likely the hardest for Guardiola’s team as it faces Tottenham, which has won three of the last five league meetings, and West Ham, which despite its terrible record against City, has beaten many top-six sides this year.

Liverpool, along with fellow title contenders Arsenal, who just hammered Chelsea, will be keeping a keen eye on that side of Manchester over the last remaining games. Jürgen Klopp, however, along with his now almost fully replenished squad, will certainly be focused on the game ahead on Wednesday against Everton at Goodison Park.

The Merseyside derby means a lot for both the title race and the relegation battle, which Sean Dyche’s men will be aiming to avoid at all costs. A result here for Liverpool would put the club four points clear ahead of Thursday. That would come with the benefit of placing more pressure on a City side that could be just about ready to snap due to fatigue and exhaustion.

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Former Liverpool winger John Barnes has suggested that Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes should target three Premier League players from one club this summer. The Reds will be making plans ahead of the exit of Jürgen Klopp.

Barnes also believes that there should be a contingency plan in place in case Mohamed Salah leaves. Saudi Arabian clubs remain interested in the 31-year-old though it remains to be seen how interested he is in moving there.

"Marc Guéhi is a very good player. Guéhi is someone Liverpool should be looking at," Reds legend Barnes told Bettors. "Even the Palace attacking players like Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are players Liverpool could be looking at also.

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"City are also said to be looking at Olise and Eze. Arsenal also. But if Salah was to go and Liverpool wanted to bring in someone to replace him, Eze and Olise are players that I like. Those two alongside Guéhi are ready to move up a level."

It would be a surprise if Salah were to depart but Barnes believes that the Egyptian could follow Klopp out of the exit door. He has a year left on his contract (as do Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold) and there has been no news on an extension just yet.

"Next season Liverpool are going to have a new manager and a new team. He (Salah) may want a new challenge," Barnes continued. "With Mo, who knows? It’s possible he could leave.

"If you look at Liverpool right now and the players that we actually have from an attacking and youth point of view, we are well prepared for anything. Mo is now 31 turning 32 so he may feel as though it’s time for something new. Of course we’d miss him but with the talent we have now, with Núñez, Elliott, Gakpo, and Díaz, we are set to cope if he does go."

Liverpool.com says: Guéhi, Eze and Olise are all really good players but whether they will be high up on Liverpool's radar this summer remains to be seen. Center-back should be a priority but there might be options with a higher ceiling than Guéhi who are available to go with rather than the England man.

Eze and Olise would cost a lot of money (the latter, The Guardian suggested last week, could be valued at around $81m/£65m/€76m) and there might be bigger priorities to sort out first. Liverpool certainly has some big decisions coming up.

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Everton boss Sean Dyche is set to receive a huge injury boost heading into the Merseyside derby against Liverpool on Wednesday. The Toffees will host the Reds at Goodison Park in what could prove to be a crucial clash in the Premier League title race.

Jürgen Klopp's side got back to winning ways last weekend with a 3-1 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage. Liverpool had previously slipped up against Crystal Palace, as the Eagles secured a 1-0 win at Anfield.

Derby day is now fast approaching and with the club currently sitting level on points with Arsenal at the top of the table, it will be one of the more nerve-racking meetings between the two sides. Liverpool fans will have one eye on the title race, while Everton will attempt to stretch the five-point gap on Luton Town in 18th to avoid relegation.

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Speaking ahead of the game during his press conference, Dyche commented on the fitness of Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin who missed the recent 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest due to an injury. "He’s [Calvert-Lewin] hopeful he’ll be back," he said. "We will wait and see till tomorrow but hopeful on that one."

The England international has five goals and one assist to his name across 22 starts in the top flight of English football this season. His presence in the squad would be a huge boost to Everton ahead of the clash, given the fact Beto will miss the fixture due to a head injury he picked up last weekend and the concussion protocols. Seamus Coleman is also sidelined.

Liverpool has also been ravaged by injury throughout the entire 2023/24 campaign, with Diogo Jota the latest player to pick up a fresh concern. The Portuguese international only returned from a lengthy knee injury on April 11 but is now set to miss an additional two weeks. Long-term absentees Ben Doak, Joël Matip and Thiago Alcântara will also miss the game.

Liverpool.com says: While Calvert-Lewin is not a ruthless goalscorer, he still provides the biggest threat out of all the Everton players. His return against Liverpool should be monitored closely by the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, though they should be capable of dealing with the former Sheffield United forward.

If Liverpool plays anything close to its best on Wednesday, it will win. But the question is whether the Fulham win was a true turning point during the vital run-in.

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