Everton Under-23s begin their Premier League 2 campaign with a mouthwatering visit to Liverpool on Sunday (1pm).

The all-Merseyside encounter will represent a first competitive match in six months for David Unsworth’s team following the premature conclusion of 2019/20.

Indeed, the sides were due for a mini-derby in March when football was halted because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Manager Unsworth can call on a handful of players back from loans last term, among them Josh Bowler and fellow forward Nathan Broadhead, prolific in pre-season, after time with Hull City and Burton Albion respectively.

Goalkeeper Harry Tyrer, meanwhile, was excellent on his first senior team outing in the 2-0 Goodison Park friendly success against Preston North End last Saturday, when 19-year-old defender Kyle John and forward Ellis Simms, also 19, both featured.

You can follow every kick of this weekend’s action on our live blog on evertonfc.com and the Club’s official Twitter account, which will provide regular updates from Liverpool Academy.

Unsworth’s side were Premier League 2 winners in 2018/19, reclaiming a title they won two years previously.

They added the Premier League Cup to the second of those championships and were on track in their defence of that competition last term, beating Reading to advance to the last eight in their final game before the season was curtailed.