- Everton next host Liverpool, who occupy the fifth spot in league table
- Hugo Ekitike scored a goal in his last game against Everton.
- Ekitike will miss the remainder of the season with an Achilles injury.
Liverpool’s Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain came with an even heavier cost. Star striker Hugo Ekitike was stretchered off during the first half of the quarter‑final second leg at Anfield, and the news since has been bleak. The French forward is now set to miss the remainder of the season and the World Cup.
For Everton, who host the Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium on 19 April, Ekitike will be missing from the starting lineup.
Hugo Ekitike joins Liverpool’s growing injury list
Arne Slot confirmed the severity of the setback after the 2‑0 defeat that saw Liverpool exit the Champions League 4‑0 on aggregate. “Not too good. I think we could all see that it didn’t look well and didn’t look good,” the Liverpool head coach said. “Losing a game is already very hard, especially in the way we lost it, but again – as it seems to be – losing a player is something we’ve had so many times this season.”
Hugo Ekitike pointed to his Achilles tendon before he was carried off. He has scored 11 Premier League goals this season and was Liverpool’s biggest attacking threat. Now he joins a treatment room already overcrowded. Alisson Becker is sidelined with a hamstring issue and Slot said the goalkeeper will be out “for a bit longer”.
Wataru Endo ruptured an ankle ligament in February and will not feature again this season. Conor Bradley suffered serious knee ligament damage and is also done for the campaign. Giovanni Leoni tore his ACL on his debut and is out of the squad.
Liverpool head into the derby without their first‑choice goalkeeper, their most reliable midfielder, two full‑backs, and now their leading scorer.
Hugo Ekitike will be a major miss for Liverpool against Everton
The reverse fixture at Anfield in September ended in a 2‑1 win for Liverpool, with Ekitike causing Everton problems. That day, he won six of nine duels, completed all three of his take‑ons, made three clearances, and scored his first Merseyside derby goal. His physical presence and movement have been a nightmare for defences all season. With 28 Premier League appearances, he has scored 11 goals, four assists, and five Team of the Week selections.
Without him, Liverpool’s attack looks blunt. Cody Gakpo has been inconsistent and the creative burden falls almost entirely on Mohamed Salah. Everton, meanwhile, have kept 11 clean sheets this season, joint‑second in the league, while Jordan Pickford has been in inspired form.
The head‑to‑head record in the last five meetings shows two wins each and one draw, with Everton winning 2‑0 at Goodison Park in April 2024. That result came without Ekitike in the Liverpool side. History could repeat itself.
David Moyes’ side are level on points with Brentford and just five off the Champions League places. A win against a depleted Liverpool would be a massive step towards European football. The Reds may have the name, but Everton have the momentum.
