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It's hardly the perfect backdrop to the 230th Merseyside derby.

At a time when Liverpool are enjoying the best run of Jurgen Klopp's Anfield reign, their biggest asset is desperately trying to secure his passage to Barcelona.

Hopes that Philippe Coutinho would sit tight until the summer have been dashed. In the form of his life in December, the Brazil international has no intention of repeating the trick for the Reds this month. He wants out.

Liverpool must either keep Coutinho against his wishes for a second successive window and deal with the fallout or sell and risk doing serious damage to a season which promises so much. Until Barcelona show the colour of their money there is no decision to be made.

While the Reds have refused to publicly rule out a sale, what hasn't changed is their determination to ensure they won't be railroaded into a deal which isn't in the club's long-term interests.

Coutinho, who has been complaining of discomfort in his thigh, believes he has played his last game for Liverpool, but then again he thought the same last summer when his representatives did everything they could to get him to the Camp Nou. Liverpool refused to be bullied then and that resolve remains undimmed.

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A transfer request and imaginary tales of his relationship with Klopp breaking down didn't do the trick back in August and the threat of going on strike remains fanciful. That won't happen with the World Cup on the horizon.

Uncertainty reigns and it's an unwanted distraction for Klopp as he prepares his squad for Friday night's FA Cup third round showdown with Everton at Anfield.

Coutinho won't be involved and he's unlikely to be the only star name missing.

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will be arriving back on Merseyside on the day of the game following a seven-hour flight after being granted permission to attend the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awards in Ghana on Thursday evening.

Klopp is adamant that 7,000-mile round trip won't rule them out of the tie, but with Salah nursing a groin problem it would be a major surprise if he started. Kopites can only hope Mane sleeps soundly on the private jet the club have laid on.

It remains to be seen how the identity of Friday's opponents alters the way Klopp approaches it selection wise.

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This would have been a date he had pencilled in for those on the fringes of his squad – the likes of Danny Ings, Ben Woodburn and Marko Grujic.

A year ago Liverpool kicked off their FA Cup campaign by fielding a team of: Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Lucas, Moreno, Can, Stewart, Ejaria, Ojo, Origi, Woodburn.

It was the youngest starting line-up in the club's history with an average age of just 21 years and 296 days.

But that was Plymouth, this is Everton.

Yes, Liverpool have bigger fish to fry with a top-four battle on their hands and the last 16 of the Champions League to come.

But the FA Cup still represents their best hope of silverware this season as Klopp looks to end a six-year trophy drought. With nine days to prepare for the upcoming Premier League clash with Manchester City, there's no need to hold anyone back.

The frustration for Kopites was that Everton didn't feel the full force of Liverpool's resurgence when the clubs met at Anfield last month.

The teamsheet gave Sam Allardyce's men a boost. Coutinho and Roberto Firmino were both rested and the Reds paid the price for failing to make their dominance count when Wayne Rooney's penalty cancelled out Salah's classy opener.

They can't let the Blues off the hook again. There is history to be made.

Liverpool have never beaten Everton in four previous FA Cup meetings at Anfield.

There is also the small matter of extending their proud unbeaten run in the fixture across all competitions to 16 matches and ensuring that their neighbours' wait for a first win across Stanley Park this millennium goes on.

The Coutinho saga threatens to cast a shadow over Liverpool's season. A derby triumph would help keep that at bay.