Liverpool Preview: Survival Of The Fittest Key As Derby Day Looms

As derby day looms large across the Merseyside skyline, and fans of Liverpool and Everton offer their feelings on a potential shared stadium, the focus will inevitably center on the two clubs' medical staff, as they battle to patch up as many of the walking wounded as possible.

It has been like this all season. Liverpool and Everton are arguably the two sides to whom injuries and illness have been the most cruel. At one point this season, the two sides could boast an absentee list of 25 players. Little wonder then, that neither have reached the heights expected of them.

For Liverpool, the spotlight will inevitably fall on Fernando Torres and his troublesome groin. Reds boss Rafael Benitez has already conceded that the Spanish striker is likely to face a struggle to be fit in time for Sunday's clash at Goodison Park, but the Liverpool physios have been working long and hard to ensure he is able to play some part.

His return would represent a huge lift to the red half of the city. David Ngog has deputized admirably in El Nino's absence, scoring twice and creating twice in his last three games, but in a game of this magnitude, a player like Torres can often make the difference - as he did last season, scoring both goals in Liverpool's 2-0 victory at Goodison.

Elsewhere, the news at Anfield is improving by the day. Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio both managed lengthy run-outs in the midweek win over Debrecen in the Champions League, whilst Yossi Benayoun and, briefly, Alberto Aquilani made cameos from the substitutes' bench. All would surely be first choice if fully fit.

Aquilani's case is particularly interesting. The Italian was signed from Roma for £17 million in the summer, with the understanding that he would complete his recovery from an ankle injury by mid-September at the latest. Now, with December approaching, he has managed just 23 minutes of senior action (14 of which came in the low-strain environment of the Carling Cup).

High drama | Liverpool won at Goodison last year

Liverpool fans are eager to see their Italian star in action, but Benitez's conservatism is understandable. A high-octane derby match is unlikely to be the ideal setting for a first start in English football.

For Everton, the news is slightly less positive on the injury front. They began the season without their prized trio of Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta and Yakubu, and all three have suffered setbacks in their bid to regain full sharpness.

Both Jagielka and Arteta are expected to be out until at least January after suffering further knee troubles, whilst Moyes himself has conceded that it could be next season before Yakubu reaches his full capacity, following a series of low-key appearances in the first team.

It goes without saying that all three would make a massive difference to Moyes' side. Yakubu boasts a record of around one goal in every two games for the club, Jagielka has developed into the rock on which they are built on, whilst Arteta's creativity - his set-pieces created two of Everton's three goals against Liverpool last season - is sorely missed.

The absentees are exacerbated by injuries to the Goodison support cast. The likes of Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman, Philip Neville and Victor Anichebe are all sidelined with mid-to-long-term injuries, Jack Rodwell limped out of Wednesday's defeat to Hull City, and Moyes' resources have been stretched thinner than most during a difficult start to the season.

And it has been a difficult start for both sides, make no mistake. Defeat for either on Sunday is unthinkable, and yet a draw does neither any real good. Liverpool need to start winning games quick if they are to keep pace with the likes of Tottenham, Aston Villa and Manchester City in the battle for fourth place. Their pre-season target of a title challenge has already needed revising, but no further ground can afford to be lost in the chase for a Champions League spot.

Defeat for Everton, meanwhile, could have even greater ramifications. Moyes' position at the club is, quite rightly, ultra-secure, but a third Premier League defeat in a row could leave his side as little as one point above the relegation zone, and way off the pace in their own battle for European football.

Either way, the high stakes, and the nerves which accompany them, promise to make Sunday's lunch-time clash a fascinating one. But a lot will surely rest on who the two sides can field. Or more specifically, who they cannot.