A derby double brought to you by London and Merseyside

Don’t worry. The international break is over. Normal service has resumed and two of the most high-profile English derbies this Saturday (live on Showmax Pro) are a great way for the Premier League to say “Welcome back!”

Here’s what you need to know going into Liverpool versus Everton and Chelsea versus Arsenal.

Reds on the rise

They may be experiencing it in different degrees, but it’s definitely an upward trajectory that’s been experienced at Arsenal as well as Liverpool these days.

For Arsenal, their progression has been incremental since Mikel Arteta's appointment four years ago. Following on from their impressive runner-up finish last season, they are currently dreaming of going one better after beating Manchester City just before the international break.

Liverpool aren’t quite matching the heights that saw them win the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League the following year, but the signs are there that it’s looking rosier and more settled than last season when they finished outside the top four for the first time in a full season under Jurgen Klopp.

Both teams have the chance of going top of the table at least briefly, which would be a boost to the supporters as big as the boost that the bragging rights will give them.

Mini-revivals for the Blues

Both Chelsea and Everton are coming off extremely worrying seasons and both started this campaign with a similar sense of calamity. Now there are signs for both clubs that they could gradually be on the way back up.

Chelsea will have to finish a lot higher than their current position of 11th to make their fans happy, but back-to-back wins has given the sense that something promising could be brewing under Mauricio Pochettino.

The game against Arsenal will be their first of a particularly tough run of fixtures. The litmus test of how good Chelsea actually are will take place over the next month when they also play Tottenham and Manchester City.

Everton needed a result on the last day of the season to stay up and were deeply involved in a relegation battle the season before. That familiar sense of doom and gloom was in the air after just one point from the first five matches, but two wins out of three has brought them out of the relegation zone and there’s a growing optimism that Sean Dyche might be putting a workable blueprint in place.

Grabbing anything from a trip to Anfield will be a surefire way to keep that faith growing at Goodison Park.

Steeped in history

In 31 years of Premier League history, only six clubs have been ever-presents in the division. All of the clubs involved in these derbies are a part of that elite group (along with Manchester United and Tottenham) and these fixtures have added so much to the most popular football product.

In the overall head-to-head, Arsenal have the edge over Chelsea with 25 wins to the Blues’ 20. The Gunners have won four of their last five league meetings and have the chance to make it four in a row for the first time in the Premier League era.

The history of the Merseyside derby has been more lopsided with Liverpool enjoying 27 wins to Everton’s 10. The Toffees have only tasted victory three times at Anfield, but that did include their last derby win two years ago.

For all four clubs, the fixtures mean far more than the points on offer. Don’t miss out as they all look to add chapters to their proud histories.

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