Liverpool travel to Goodison Park for Sunday's Merseyside derby clash with Everton.
The match on Sunday is sure to be fiercely contested and passions will be running high as both teams will look to kick-start their season with a positive result.
The Mersey giants, for so long dominant forces in English football, have had torrid seasons and between them have lost eleven league matches, an unprecedented number in recent years.
Everton can point to a huge number of injuries to key players for a run of one win in ten league and cup matches.
Liverpool lost only twice in the league all last season without winning the Premier League but this year they have already lost five.
The problems at Liverpool this season have been well documented and following their early exit from the Champions League, Liverpool fans will be desperate to see their team climb up the Premier League table.
Injuries to Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres this season have shown up how heavily the Reds rely on those two and some of the backup players just haven’t been up to the standard required.
However, Manager Rafa Benitez has been given assurances over his future at the club, and a positive result against Everton would help to get some of the fans off his back in the short-term at least.
Fernando Torres will have a test on Saturday to see whether he is fit enough to be considered for a place in Liverpool's squad against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.
Torres has been having treatment on his serious groin injury, and has done light training this week under the control of Liverpool's fitness coaches.
Winger Ryan Babel is still out with an ankle injury, but Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani is likely to be on the substitutes' bench. Glen Johnson, Albert Riera and Yossi Benayoun, who have all struggled with injuries over the past week, should be in the squad.
It has not been a good week for Everton Football Club. Not only did a defeat at Hull City on Wednesday night make it just one win from 10 matches, the club also had their ambitious plans for a £400m development, including a new stadium, kicked out by the government.
Manager David Moyes accepts that the club is currently going through an extremely rough patch and that his side are under-prepared for a visit of local rivals Liverpool - and he is also realistic enough to accept that Everton need to start turning their season around quickly or they will be pulled into an ugly relegation battle.
Everton midfielders Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Marouane Fellaini both return from suspension.
However, there are slight doubts over midfielder Jack Rodwell (groin) and striker Louis Saha, who also picked up a knock in Wednesday's defeat at Hull.
Steven Pienaar made a welcome return in that match after a two-month absence with a knee injury and is likely to start again against Liverpool.
REVIEW:
Javier Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt eased the pressure on under-fire manager Rafael Benitez as Liverpool edged past local rivals Everton 2-0 at Goodison Park.
However, this victory - their first since beating Manchester United over a month ago - was far from comprehensive.
But it moves Liverpool above Aston Villa into fifth place in the Premier League table, while Everton have won just once in 11 matches, leaving them just four points above the bottom three.
David Moyes' men responded and enjoyed the better of the first half, having two goals correctly disallowed for offside, but they were fortunate not to be two behind at the interval after Tim Howard saved an Emiliano Insua header.
The second half followed suit, but was marked by the low confidence and form of both teams as the only real moment of quality was Jose Reina's sensational double stop from Tim Cahill's header and Marouane Fellaini's follow-up.
The opening exchanges were even more ferocious than usual. Mascherano and Tim Cahill traded kicks and warnings from referee Alan Wiley, with Cahill finding himself dumped on the track by the Argentina captain.
But it was Mascherano who was soon celebrating, having had a major part in Liverpool's 12th-minute lead. Everton criminally allowed the midfielder to advance towards their box, where he lashed in a 20-yarder that deflected off Yobo and into the opposite corner than had been intended with Howard hopelessly wrongfooted.
The Russian, lively throughout, drew Pepe Reina into action with an overhead kick, while Jo could make only the gentlest contact with Fellaini’s flick, directing the ball into the Liverpool goalkeeper’s grateful hands.
Liverpool were hanging on under the most searching of examinations. Saha replaced Jo after 66 minutes, still Everton rolling relentlessly forward. Yobo managed to deflect an Ngog effort wide, but that was a rare venture out by Liverpool.
Reina produced a stunning double-save from Cahill and then Fellaini, Liverpool penned back and defending with increasing desperation.
Benitez’s side fashioned just one chance of any note, Emiliano Insua drawing a splendid reaction save from Tim Howard after leaping beyond Tony Hibbert to meet Glen Johnson’s cross, but their subdued travelling support, rather than revelling in a derby lead, seemed pensive, as if they knew it would take a vast improvement if it was to last.
It was not forthcoming. Everton continued to pile forward, gifted possession by their nervy, anxious opponents, and almost gifted a goal when the usually unflappable Reina nearly allowed Steven Pienaar’s speculative shot to squirm out of his arms and through his legs.
The Spaniard atoned for his momentary panic with a spectacular double save from Tim Cahill, stretching a palm low to his left to parry a glancing header, and then Fellaini, leaping to his feet to block the Belgian’s shot from point blank range.
It seemed to draw Everton’s sting. Their play became disjointed, and with barely their first real attack of the half, Liverpool sealed it, Kuyt tapping home after Howard saved substitute Albert Riera’s shot.