View: Everton will hope Liverpool don't pit fan fave vs Toffees' weak spot

Everton won’t want to see Rio Ngumoha starting for Liverpool on Sunday, as he could massively exploit the Toffees’ glaring weak spot: right-back.

Sunday sees the return of one of the Premier League’s headline fixtures, as Everton welcome Liverpool to Hill Dickinson Stadium for the very first time.

It’s a Merseyside derby that feels the biggest in some time, with both David Moyes‘ and Arne Slot’s respective sides gunning for European football.

Everton come into the game off the back of a 2-2 draw with Brentford and with three wins from their last five league games, whilst Liverpool have lost four of their last five in all competitions.

As such, Everton may even be favourites to beat Liverpool, but those odds could shift back into the Reds’ favour if Ngumoha is deployed from the off.

Why Everton won’t want Rio Ngumoha starting for Liverpool

Everton have had a right-back problem all season long, with Moyes seemingly not overly keen on any of Jake O’Brien, Nathan Patterson or Seamus Coleman respectively, for differing reasons.

Of course with Coleman, he’s now 37 and his days of being a viable starter for the Toffees are past him, but with the former two, their performances have been far too inconsistent to build up any level of definitive dug out trust.

However, it’s O’Brien who has been the regular first-choice starting right-back for the Toffees this term, but the 24-year-old Ireland international has been incredibly up and down week to week.

And, if there’s one type of player any full-back despises playing against the most, it’s tricky, pacey wingers with a relentless appetite to attack.

In other words, Ngumoha. Indeed, the 17-year-old Liverpool sensation is one of the most exciting young wingers around at the moment, and looks to be Anfield’s heir apparent to their ‘Egyptian King’, Mohamed Salah.

The left winger is a right-back’s worst nightmare, as every time he picks up the ball, all the teenager wants to do is run at his defender and beat him with his footwork, laughing at the concept of fear.

It doesn’t matter what your allegiances are, Ngumoha is a breath of fresh air and a fantastic watch – but it might be a painful one for Everton fans if he’s in Liverpool’s starting XI on Sunday.

O’Brien could have a long day at the office against Ngumoha

Ngumoha started and scored against Fulham in Liverpool’s previous Premier League game, and when he came off the bench against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, he instantly looked their most likely to get them back in the tie.

So, Slot is surely going to give much consideration over starting him in the Merseyside derby, and that would likely see O’Brien put on an island with him down Everton’s right/Liverpool’s left.

As per Sofascore, O’Brien has won just 1.6 tackles per game in the Premier League this season and has given a penalty away, whilst also conceding 0.5 fouls per game too.

Everton’s weak spot is at their right-back position, and if there was any profile of winger who could take advantage of that and make it a long old day for the Toffees in that department, it would be an Ngumoha-type.

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