Looking ahead to the FA cup Semi final: Liverpool V Everton

Saturday 14^th April will be the day that will host the most important and season defining match of Liverpool’s 2011 – 2012 campaign. Forget the Carling Cup success against Cardiff or the constant fixtures in the Premiership where focus on winning each game to clinch a top four place is now far beyond reach. The semi final of Britain’s most elite cup competition against their Merseyside rivals Everton, is where Liverpool’s wayward season will be decided as either a success or a failure.       

Struggles in the Premier League with just 12 wins in 33 games and just five wins at home, racial scandals, backroom staff unrest, a serious loss of form in key players and just recently their director of football, Damien Comolli sacked, it has been a season to forget for the once most successful football club in England. However success in Saturdays cup tie against Everton would certainly silence the critics and at least add some respect to what has been one of the poorest campaigns in the clubs recent history.  

A win at Wembley would book Liverpool a place in the final in May, against either Tottenham or Chelsea but before any of that is decided, they have to overcome the side currently above them in the Premier League. It will be the 218^th time these two clubs have met and with Everton’s form being outstanding recently, becoming stronger and stronger since January and with bargain buy Nikica Jelavic in great form all season, it will be a huge challenge for Liverpool.  

Captain Steven Gerrard has talked up his teams chances, expressing that they are slight favourites and with already two wins over David Moyes’s team this season including a 3 – 0 thrashing at Anfield, knocking out Manchester United on their way to the Semi final and of course already successfully claiming one trophy this season, the Liverpool skipper has every right to be optimistic. However the form running into this clash between the two sides couldn’t be any more different. Six defeats in their last eight fixtures have seen Liverpool all but fail on their mission for a top four position. Everton though have won four of their last six games, including a 4- 0 thumping against Sunderland and have only been defeated four times in 2012.

Nevertheless the formbook is simply thrown out of the window when it comes to cup competitions, especially when it is a derby and a one off match. Both clubs resting key players during the week, two fresh and revitalised line-ups will take to the field and battle it out for a place in the FA cup final. The loss of Pepe Reina however is a huge blow for Liverpool. The Spanish keeper is one of the worlds best and his authoritative and strong presence in the penalty area will be sorely missed and will create an opportunity for Everton to take advantage of the inexperienced third choice goalkeeper, Brad Jones.

Despite the loss of their premier goalkeeper, Liverpool still have outstanding match winners in Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy and have consistently performed well in the big games as well as beating Everton in the previous two meetings in the FA cup final at Wembley in the 1980s.

The odds are firmly even for Saturdays match with both teams equally confident of success. It will be such an intriguing game, not only because it is an FA cup semi – final but also because it has the capacity to save Liverpool’s rotten season and make Everton’s. On the biggest stage, in a packed Wembley Stadium, anything can happen and come the 14^th of April at 12.30pm, these two Merseyside clubs will compete for the final of this most historic cup competition.