Liverpool’s tilt at what could actually be a quintuple

It is customary to solemnly declare that “form goes out the window” in football derbies, but as the players of Frank Lampard’s Everton gird their loins before Sunday’s trip across Stanley Park to Anfield, The Fiver isn’t so sure this will be the case. Sure, when push comes to shove, it’s 11 highly gifted footballers against 11 and anything could happen, but in terms of form, we’re struggling to envisage a scenario in which Sadio Mané and Luis Díaz repeatedly trip over their own feet while behind them Alisson keeps shanking clearances over the roof of the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand.

As for FLE? Well, colour us cynical this Spring Friday afternoon, but despite the men from Goodison Park having scraped four points from the previous six available against Manchester United and Leicester respectively through a deflected shot and late, late mis-kick, The Fiver finds it implausible to imagine they’re going to rock up to Anfield doing anything resembling a passable impersonation of 1970s Brazil. Currently more Big Sam than samba, the pressure has been well and truly ramped up on FLE in the wake of Thursday night’s events in Lancashire. In case you missed it – and given if it was a Thursday night fixture at Turf Moor between Burnley and Southampton, you almost certainly did – the home side won to leave them just a point behind Everton in the battle for Premier League survival. What’s more, if Burnley can do a number on Wolves on Sunday, FLE will start the 240th Merseyside derby in the relegation zone.

In a game that both teams desperately need to take something from for wildly different reasons. Liverpool require three points to maintain their tilt at a quintuple of League, Milk Cup, Big Cup, FA Cup and FLE Being Relegated. The