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FOR Liverpool FC’s trio of teenagers tomorrow’s lunchtime showdown at Goodison Park promises to be an eye-opening experience.

Academy graduates Raheem Sterling , Suso and Andre Wisdom have deservedly been showered with praise since breaking into the first team this season.

The way they have made the step up has emphatically repaid the faith Brendan Rodgers has shown in them. They are in there on merit, keeping stars with bigger reputations on the sidelines.

But their first taste of the Merseyside derby will be the true litmus test of where they are in terms of their development.

Sterling, Suso and Wisdom will face more talented teams than Everton this season but they won’t be involved in a game of greater intensity.

Many managers would consider taking youngsters out of the firing line and relying on older heads for such a fixture but there is no chance of that happening.

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Rodgers’ belief in them is such that he will be bold and back them to cope with whatever is thrown at them.

There is no doubt the trio will be targeted by Everton. The Blues will try to bully and unsettle them.

They will look upon the Reds’ rookies as potential weak links.

The atmosphere will be hostile and the tempo will be relentless but the derby new boys need to keep their composure and remember what’s got them this far.

Sterling’s duel with full-back Tony Hibbert could be crucial. There won’t be two players on the pitch with more contrasting qualities. Pace and flair against defensive grit.

The 17-year-old winger is riding the crest of a wave after opening his Reds account with the match-winning strike against Reading last weekend.

His work off the ball and positional play for someone so young has been equally as impressive as is his creativity.

Sterling will become Liverpool’s second youngest derby debutant behind Michael Owen and on current form he will take some stopping.

But performing at Goodison promises to be a test of his temperament as much as his talent.

On the other flank Suso faces a tougher task trying to get the better of Leighton Baines.

The 19-year-old Spaniard’s rise to prominence has been remarkable. Five weeks ago he hadn’t even graced the first team.

Now with half a dozen games under his belt, his progress has been recognised with a new contract and he’s set to start in the derby.

Key for Suso tomorrow will be repeating what he did against Reading by coming inside to link up with Luis Suarez. He isn’t going to be skipping past Baines down the touchline so he needs to be clever by finding space and picking holes in the Blues’ rearguard.

Martin Kelly’s knee injury led to Wisdom getting his chance in the Premier League last month and the right-back has grabbed it with both hands.

The potential of Sterling and Suso has been an open secret for some time but Wisdom’s emergence has been more of a surprise.

Since scoring on his debut against Young Boys last month, he has gone from strength to strength.

The tough-tackling 19-year-old reads the game so well and was outstanding in Thursday night’s Europa League victory over Anzhi.

Wisdom may have only played six senior games but the physical side of the derby certainly won’t faze him.

History will be on the Reds’ side at Goodison Park tomorrow afternoon as they look to secure a fourth successive derby win for the first time since 1991.

However, this is a new Liverpool under Rodgers. The speed of change has been fast.

If Pepe Reina isn’t passed fit, the only survivors from the side which won across Stanley Park a year ago will be Luis Suarez and Martin Skrtel.

Whether the current crop can extend the Reds’ run of derby dominance is likely to hinge on how their teenage trio adjust to a fixture unlike any other.

It will be an education for them in an unforgiving environment. If the Kop kids can deliver at Goodison, they can do it anywhere.

* Test your knowledge ahead of the big game with our bumper Merseyside derby quiz