The most decorated club competition in the world is back underway, and Wednesday's Champions League action promises some fireworks.

Winners in 2019-20, Bayern Munich will travel to the San Siro to take on Inter, while last year's runners-up Liverpool head to Napoli for a game they are favoured in.

Reigning Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt will look to keep up Germany's strong record against Portuguese teams when they host Sporting CP, and Harry Kane will be aiming to build on his superb European record as Tottenham host Marseille.

For a closer look, Stats Perform have dove into some interesting facts and nuggets about each matchup on Wednesday to give a clearer picture about how these clashes of champions may play out.

Inter v Bayern Munich

After their last Champions League run ended in a quarter-final loss to Villarreal, Bayern Munich will be desperate for a much improved result as they seek their seventh title, beginning their campaign away from home against Inter.

The sides have evenly split their seven previous European meetings, with three wins each and one draw, although it has been over a decade since their last Champions League fixture back in 2011.

While they do not have much recent history against Bayern in this competition, Inter's games against German opponents have turned into goal-fests, with 39 total goals (19 for, 20 against) in their past 10 matches.

Bayern have had much more success against Italian sides, going unbeaten in their past 10 (8W, 2D) – with their last loss coming in that 2011 battle with Inter, and the Nerazzurri were also the last side to keep a clean sheet against them in the 2010 final.

Romelu Lukaku will be a hard man to replace for the Italians as he will be absent after suffering a thigh injury. In his 16 European contests for Inter, he has 17 goal involvements (13 goals and four assists).

Napoli v Liverpool

This will be the third time in the past five seasons that Napoli and Liverpool have landed in the same Champions League group after back-to-back years in 2018-19 and 2019-20, with the Italian side winning all three of their home games.

Napoli have not featured in the last two editions of Europe's top competition, but they were a force in the group stage before their drought, with only one loss from their previous 12 matches (5W, 6D).

Mohamed Salah's seven goals in last season's group stage was the second-most ever in a group stage from a player on an English team, trailing only Ruud van Nistelrooy's eight during Manchester United's 2004-05 campaign. Salah is also one assist away from tying James Milner and Steven Gerrard for Liverpool's record number of assists in the Champions League (12).

Tottenham v Marseille

In the first ever competitive meeting between these two sides, Tottenham will likely be confident in their ability to get the job done at home against a Marseille side long removed from any Champions League success.

From their past 15 Champions League games, Marseille have only one win, against Olympiakos in 2020. English sides have given them particular trouble as well, as they have 12 losses against Premier League sides in their history in the competition – twice as many as against any other nation (six losses against Italian teams).

Harry Kane will be looking to add to his stellar European record, with 23 goal involvements (20 goals, three assists) in 24 career fixtures. Of all players with at least 20 Champions League goals, only Erling Haaland (64), Mario Gomez (102) and Lionel Messi (103.7) have a better minutes-per-goal figure than Kane's 104.4

Eintracht Frankfurt v Sporting CP

The reigning Europa League champions, Eintracht Frankfurt are making history with their first-ever Champions League berth, becoming the 14th German side to ever qualify – breaking the tie with Spain (13) for the most by any nation.

German sides have given Sporting trouble over the years, with 13 losses and one draw from 14 tries in European competition, with that emerging as a theme between the two nations.

Against all Portuguese sides, German teams are undefeated in their past 15 Champions League matches (13W, 2L) dating back to 2006.

After netting five times in last season's Europa League triumph to take his tally up to 11, Eintracht's Daichi Kamada can enter the club's record books as one of their top-three goalscorers in European competition with one more.

Other fixtures: 

Ajax v Rangers

20 - Ajax scored 20 goals in their six matches in last year's Champions League group stage, winning all six. It is the most goals they have ever scored in a Champions League group stage, before being eliminated by Benfica in the first knockout round.

19 - This will be Rangers' first Champions League appearance since 2010-11, and in their history, only Anderlecht (17 per cent) have a worse winning percentage in the competition than Rangers' 19 per cent. They have lost all four of their previous European meetings against Ajax.

Atletico Madrid v Porto

13 - This will be Atletico Madrid's 13th Champions League campaign, moving them past Valencia into the third-most for a Spanish side, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 27). This is Atletico's 10th berth in a row, all under Diego Simeone.

26 - This is Porto's 26th Champions League, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid. If they were to be eliminated in the group stage this season, it would be the first time they failed to make it through the group stage in back-to-back campaigns since 1998.

Club Brugge v Bayer Leverkusen

1 - There has been only one win from a Belgian side against a German team in 24 Champions League meetings (18L, 5D) – and it was Brugge just last season, defeating RB Leipzig 2-1.

9 - Leverkusen have failed to win the opening match of their Champions League run the past nine times they have qualified (8L, 1D), with their last opening win coming in 2001.

Barcelona v Viktoria Plzen

33 - Barcelona striker Robert Lewandwoski is the top overall Champions League goal-scorer from the past three seasons, with 33 goals in 26 games. Last season, he netted nine goals in five home games,

24 - In their only two previous Champions League fixtures against Barcelona, Viktoria Plzen have averaged 24 per cent of the possession, and have lost the shot-count by a combined margin of 36-4.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has scoffed at a question about Napoli being "a dangerous city" despite the club warning traveling fans they could be targeted during their Champions League visit.

The Reds take on Napoli at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday in their first Champions League fixture since May's final loss to Real Madrid in Paris, where chaotic scenes unfolded outside the venue for their fans, including bottleneck queues and being sprayed with tear gas.

In the lead-up to Wednesday's game, The club issued a series of recommendations to traveling fans, warning they could be "targeted for theft, robbery or assault".

Twitter account Liverpool FC Help posted the recommendations including remaining in their hotel to drink and eat, not congregating in public areas, and avoiding the city centre, which the club's managing director Andy Hughes reiterated. He added that traveling fans should use official coaches to get to the stadium, rather than make their own way in the interest of personal safety.

But Klopp would not be drawn on that, when asked in Tuesday's press conference if he believed Naples was a "dangerous city".

"That's an embarrassing question from you," Klopp said. "You want to create headlines. I really don't understand.

"Are you from Napoli? Do you think it's a dangerous city? I don't live a normal life in Napoli. I am protected, I go to the hotel and now you ask me what I think about Napoli.

"You know exactly what people are talking about. If 'some' supporters meet 'some' supporters then 'something' can happen. Nothing to do with the city.

"But I'm not here to create headlines for you, and if you don't know what to ask anymore then that's no problem.

"I would love to go to the hotel to be honest and concentrate on the game tomorrow. It looks like you don't know what to ask anymore because of the question."

Hughes said the club understood the trip "may be a daunting prospect" for fans in light of the events in Paris.

He added: "Our supporters have faced a number of issues when traveling to Naples in the past.

"I do understand that some fans will want to make an occasion out of this trip. However, in this case I'd urge supporters not to wander into the city on their own, or to be wearing club colours during their stay in Naples."

Liverpool were grouped together with Napoli in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 Champions League editions.

Jurgen Klopp kept his message to his Liverpool players simple ahead of their Champions League opener at Napoli, urging the Reds to "play better" after previous struggles in Naples.

Wednesday will mark the third time Napoli and Liverpool have met in the Champions League group stage in the past five seasons, with the Italian side winning home games against the Reds in both 2018-19 (1-0) and 2019-20 (2-0).

Klopp also lost 2-1 at Napoli while Borussia Dortmund coach, and he knows his players must improve on these previous showings.

"I'm a late bloomer," he said. "I always need a little bit longer to achieve my stuff, and that means sometimes I have to try two times, sometimes three times, sometimes four times – and Napoli [could be] four times, obviously.

"What do we have to do? Play better than in the previous three games – that would be very helpful, because we didn't play particularly well when we came here. One reason is because Napoli are pretty strong."

Despite Liverpool's poor record at Napoli, the Reds have won each of their last three away games against Italian sides in European competition, although the Partenopei have five victories in six Champions League home games against Premier League opposition.

Luciano Spalletti will be in the opposite dugout to Klopp this time around, and the German heaped praise on the Napoli coach and his squad.

"He is a real great of the game, worked all over the world, very successful, you can always see his stamp on the team," Klopp added.

"It's always clear who is the coach, I respect that a lot. Looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

"[The Napoli players] are not all young, but they're all good... I'm not 100 per cent sure, but I think not too long ago there was a bit of a nervous situation in Napoli around when players left for different reasons; obviously it has all settled again.

"I'm really happy for the people here. But one player who always stayed is [Piotr] Zielinski, and around him you could build again another team – it's a really, really interesting project, I have to say.

"Good football, intense style, different approaches, so really good. Spalletti is a good coach, so nobody should be surprised, and he's obviously pretty relaxed about maybe some nervous things around. So, it's probably a really good fit – that's how it looks."

Arthur Melo, on loan at Liverpool from Juventus, will be familiar with Napoli after his exploits in Serie A and could make his debut against Spalletti's side, but Klopp warns the midfielder will need time to settle.

"Arthur needs now just football – and training, especially – that's how it is. He wasn't in team training for a while at Juve, so he needs proper team training – and that's what we are doing with him," Klopp explained.

"Can he play minutes? Yes. Should he play full game? No, because he needs to get used to the intensity in each competition. It's not like in the Champions League you have to work less than in the Premier League.

"Not at all, especially not here. He is doing well, he is really giving his absolute all in training. We have to be careful with him as well, and then we will see whether we can use him."

Liverpool coach John Achterberg and Newcastle United counterpart Daniel Hodges have been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association (FA) following an altercation at the end of last week's Premier League meeting.

Newcastle came agonisingly close to taking a point from last Wednesday's trip to Anfield, only for substitute Fabio Carvalho to strike in the 98th minute, handing Liverpool a 2-1 win.

At the end of a highly charged affair, a member of Newcastle's coaching staff appeared to throw a bottle into the Liverpool technical area, prompting an FA investigation.

English football's governing body have now opted to charge one man from either backroom team, with Achterberg also accused of using abusive or insulting gestures.

"Coaches from Liverpool FC and Newcastle United FC have been charged with breaching FA Rule E3 during their Premier League fixture on Wednesday 31 August 2022," began an FA statement.

"It is alleged that the behaviour of John Achterberg and Daniel Hodges in the 98th minute of that game was improper, and that the Liverpool coach also used abusive and/or insulting gestures."

The two coaches have been given until Thursday to respond to the charges.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said last week he had "no idea" why eight minutes of additional time were played at the end of the contest, while Jurgen Klopp suggested Liverpool's winner was the "perfect response" to time-wasting from the Magpies. 

Both Howe and Klopp claimed not to have witnessed the bust-up sparked by the bottle-throwing incident after the match.

Eric Bailly has criticised Manchester United for what he perceives to be a bias towards English players following his departure for Marseille.

Bailly was very highly rated when he became Jose Mourinho's first signing at the club in 2016, but he left late last month on a loan deal that could become permanent having only once accumulated more than 21 appearances in a full season.

Injuries undoubtedly played their part in Bailly's struggles, but he was also prone to moments of rashness and the occasional loss of concentration, which did not help his cause.

Seemingly, however, Bailly thinks there were other factors at play as well, claiming there to be a bias towards English players at the club, with his comments interpreted by many as clear criticism of the much-maligned – and now out-of-favour – captain Harry Maguire.

"The club should avoid favouring English players and give everyone a chance," he told the Times.

"[The club should] encourage competition in the dressing room, not just look out for some. I've always had the feeling that the [English] national player was prioritised.

"That doesn't happen at Chelsea or other big Premier League clubs. Some people take it for granted that they are going to start, and that weakens the team.

"Luckily [Erik] ten Hag has a lot of character and I hope he can change that dynamic."

The data certainly suggests United looked to English players more than their rivals over the past six seasons, the period Bailly is referring to.

While Liverpool (33), Tottenham (30) and Arsenal (27) have both seen more English players represent them for at least one minute across all competitions over the period in question than United (26), the Red Devils have given greater prominence to more homegrown players.

Between August 2016 and the end of last season, they had nine English players feature for at least 5,000 minutes across all competitions – none of the other so-called 'big six' have more than six English players that meet the same criteria.

Ten Hag's decision to drop Maguire and Luke Shaw suggests United do now have a manager who is willing to shake things up again, but still Bailly wanted out.

"I played important games and in some I was chosen as the best player. I think when I was given the opportunity I rose to the occasion, I just lacked consistency, because I think I deserved more minutes," he continued. "I've had good times and won titles.

"I met Ten Hag in the dressing room at the end of last season when he went to sign his contract.

"I was packing my things because my intention was to leave, but he told me he wanted me to stay because he was going to give minutes to everyone.

"I agreed to do the [pre-season] tour with United, and he kept his word, but I don't want to play every now and then. I want to do it every week and feel important. I want to get my confidence back."

Gavi is one of the hottest young talents around Europe having become a regular at Barcelona in 2021-22.

The youngster has been capped 10 times for Spain already, despite only turning 18 in August.

However, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been frustrated that he is yet to re-commit to the club.

TOP STORY – BAYERN MUNICH ENTER GAVI PURSUIT

German champions Bayern Munich have joined the race for Barcelona's teenage midfielder Gavi, reports Bild.

Gavi is out of contract at the end of this season and already being pursued by Liverpool and Manchester United.

Bayern are monitoring Gavi's contract status to see if he does renew his deal with the Blaugrana, with reports he is restless.

ROUND-UP

– The Standard reports that Chelsea's main target in January is a new central midfielder, with Ajax's Mexico international Edson Alvarez top of the list.

– Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has offered a hint that Mason Mount is set for a new contract, liking a tweet from Fabrizio Romano that claimed talks are under way with a final proposal soon.

– Miralem Pjanic may end his time with Barcelona on Tuesday, according to Fabrizio Romano, who claims he is set to fly to UAE to discuss a deal with Sharjah FC .

– Wolves' proposed move for ex-Spain international Diego Costa could collapse due to his work permit application being denied due to a lack of recent international appearances, reports The Sun. The ex-Chelsea forward is a free agent.

Former Liverpool forward Bobby Duncan has hit out at his former agent for working to "jeopardise" his career, three years on from a controversial move to Fiorentina.

Duncan, then considered a rising star at Liverpool, made headlines in 2019 when then-agent Saif Rubie accused the club of causing the youngster "deep mental health issues" before negotiating a move to the Serie A team. The Reds always denied such claims.

However, the attacker – who is also a cousin of Reds legend Steven Gerrard – has struggled since the transfer and now plays for Spanish third-tier team Real Balompedica Linense after a failed spell at Derby County.

On Monday, Rubie made an explosive radio appearance, telling talkSPORT: "I actually advised him [Duncan] to stay at Liverpool and you have to understand one thing, which is what I was trying to tell you guys, my job is to do the best for whoever is telling me to help them. 

"In that particular case, you can choose to believe me or not, I thought him staying was the best outcome. It wasn't meant to be, and in the end it got a bit ugly with Liverpool, which is unfortunate."

But Duncan, who dropped Rubie as his agent shortly after joining the Viola, has refuted those claims in a series of fiery tweets, asserting: "You and I both know the truth. 

"I didn't have a decision nor say as you took it upon yourself to jeopardise my career and to turn a local lad away from his boyhood club and leave me and my family to pick up all the pieces.

"Not once have I spoken upon this topic in four years as it's been my main priority to get my career back on track. Yet you think you have the right to mention my name on a live radio show.

"The truth will be told by myself when the time is right. I should never have trusted my career in your hands. I have learnt my harsh lesson there. And I just pray you have learnt yours as it could ruin another young boy's career. 

"And lastly, just to clarify, there was no advising given as you point blank made your mind up, publicly, and by then the damage had been done."

Rubie also worked as an intermediary on Antonio Rudiger's move from Chelsea to Real Madrid earlier this year and used his radio appearance to claim Los Blancos' offer was the smallest the German received. 

"Antonio Rudiger has been one of the best, if not the best, defender in the world and Premier League," he said.

"It made Carlo Ancelotti want to bring him to Real Madrid. What is the value of a top-flight, top-level centre-half in the game?

"What if I told you Chelsea, and the old regime, basically made next to no effort to keep the player.

"At the time he was very happy to stay and potentially be the captain of the club. He was offered a contract that was half the amount Romelu Lukaku was earning.

"Let me confirm this, live on air, the Real Madrid deal was the smallest deal on offer. There was a club in England offering almost double the amount and a club in Europe doubling the amount.

"I'm not going to discuss the specifics. Everyone knows there were teams interested in this player. He was one of the best in the world."

Alisson believes Liverpool are improving despite making their worst start to a Premier League season under Jurgen Klopp, after the Reds were held to a frustrating Merseyside derby draw by Everton.

After missing several clear-cut opportunities in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, Liverpool have picked up just nine points from their first six games of the campaign – their lowest tally since they claimed eight under Brendan Rodgers in 2015-16.

Liverpool's 25th Premier League outing of 2022 was also the first in which they failed to find the net, with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz both hitting the woodwork amid an inspired performance from Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

The England goalkeeper's tally of eight saves against the Reds is the highest he has ever recorded while keeping a Premier League clean sheet.

Alisson was also forced into fine saves by Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil in a lively encounter, but has chose to remain upbeat about Liverpool's performances.

"We are really focused on getting the victories back. It was really important we won the last game [against Newcastle United on Wednesday]," he told the club's official website.

"Not always do you get the results that you want, but you have to fight for that. You need to have consistency in your performances, and we are getting there. 

"We are improving in respect of the last games we had, each game we are improving a step.

"Players are coming back from injuries, so that is really important and that is the good side of everything."

Asked whether Liverpool had done enough to come away with the three points against Everton, the Brazil international added: "We didn't win, so the answer is not.

"But we did quite well, we improved our performance in respect of the last matches. We created chances, so many clear chances. 

"We could have scored, but the opponent as well had their opportunities.

"We defended well, enough to keep the clean sheet – that is the common goal for the team, we work hard for that. For today, we get a point and just keep on going."

Liverpool will turn their attentions to the Champions League when they travel to Napoli on Wednesday, before hosting Wolves in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday.

Frank Lampard questioned why Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk avoided a red card in Saturday's Merseyside derby after the Dutch defender's late tackle on Amadou Onana.

The centre-back went into referee Anthony Taylor's book for the 76th-minute challenge, when Van Dijk got his timing all wrong and caught Onana just above the ankle.

A gripping match finished goalless, but a red card at that stage of the game could have lifted hosts Everton for the closing minutes.

Manager Lampard could not understand why Taylor was not called to look at the incident again by the video assistant referee.

He said: "If you look at the moment he connects with Amadou's shin and Amadou's foot is on the ground… I'm surprised it hasn't gone to VAR and the referee hasn't been asked to make what I think was the correct decision.

"For me, that was a red card and that changes the face of the last part of the game. The ref and the VAR get that one wrong, in my opinion."

Everton were indebted to the brilliance of their goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, who pulled off eight saves to keep out Liverpool.

That was the most saves the England international has made when keeping a clean sheet in a Premier League game, with crunch interventions to deny Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho standing out.

Lampard hailed his shot-stopper, saying: "Jordan gets fingertips on a few bits that a lot of keepers don't get: pushes the one from Nunez on the bar, the one from Mo Salah at the end.

"Alisson was the same, they're two top goalkeepers. We've relied on Jordan a lot since I've been here. He's an amazing goalkeeper. I'm so fortunate to have a player of his level to pull off saves like that."

Liverpool and Everton pledged to support police efforts to find those responsible for racist and crude graffiti daubed close to Goodison Park and Anfield.

The Merseyside rivals, who battled out a 0-0 derby draw on Saturday in the Premier League, issued a joint statement in which they condemned the vandalism.

The Liverpool Echo newspaper reported murals and artworks featuring Liverpool stars past and present were sprayed with blue paint, including those celebrating Mohamed Salah, Ian St John and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Alexander-Arnold mural was put in place to mark the work done by the Fans Supporting Foodbanks charity.

The clubs said in their statement: "Both Everton and Liverpool football clubs jointly condemn the defacing of buildings and murals ahead of the Merseyside derby.

"Racist and offensive graffiti has been daubed across multiple sites in north Liverpool this morning around Anfield and Goodison.

"Both clubs will work together with Merseyside Police and will support the investigation in finding those responsible. Hate has no place in football.

"Together, Everton and Liverpool football clubs and their supporters will continue in representing our city in the fight against all forms of discrimination."

Jurgen Klopp declared Liverpool did all they could to win Saturday's Merseyside derby, with only the brilliance of Jordan Pickford denying them victory at Goodison Park.

The Reds manager witnessed a gripping 0-0 draw in which England goalkeeper Pickford's eight saves meant Liverpool had to accept a point for their efforts.

They almost matched the drama of Wednesday, when a stoppage-time winner from Fabio Carvalho secured victory over Newcastle United. This time, well past the regulation 90 minutes, Pickford touched Mohamed Salah's shot against the base of the right post.

Klopp said: "It was a real derby, super intense and with a lot of really spectacular moments."

Everton thought they had snatched a second-half lead when Liverpool academy graduate Conor Coady tapped in from close range, but he was just offside.

"I didn't see it back but I think if they watch it long enough it probably was offside," Klopp said.

He saluted a "sensational save" from Alisson, who denied Neal Maupay in the second half, but Pickford was the obvious star of the show.

"We hit the post three times, and a few unbelievable saves by Pickford. Wow. What can you do," Klopp said on BT Sport.

"You have to dig in really deep, that's what we did. In the end it's nil-nil, which sounds strange, but that's it."

Liverpool had 23 shots to Everton's 14, as the Reds failed to score in a Premier League game for the first time in 2022. This was their 25th game in the competition since the turn of the year, and the Reds had last drawn a blank when losing 1-0 at Leicester in December.

"It's been a super intense week for us," Klopp said. "On Wednesday night we had a really tough game and had to go to the wire, and a few days later you play here.

"I don't know how many derbies I've played now, quite a few, but it's always difficult and it was difficuilt today."

Carvalho came off at half-time with a muscle injury above the knee, described by Klopp as "one of the most painful things you can get".

That was a downside, as was the result from Liverpool's perspective, considering they hit the woodwork three times, through Salah, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.

Liverpool have failed to win any of their first three away league games in a single campaign for the first time since 2010-11, when they drew four in a row under Roy Hodgson's leadership, but Klopp recognised the derby had been quite some match.

"This game was not bad, at all, it was just a tough one," he said. "I don't forget that they had a big chance. The goal was offside so I don't count that, but it was close, but when Ali made a save [from Maupay] that was proper. Apart from that we had bigger chances but it's okay now."

Jordan Pickford enjoyed putting on a goalkeeping masterclass as Liverpool and Everton finished goalless in a gripping Merseyside derby.

The Premier League tussle at Goodison Park saw Pickford make eight saves, most of them stunning efforts, to keep Liverpool blank on the scoresheet.

His final stop came deep into stoppage time as Mohamed Salah set his aim on the bottom-right corner, with the faintest of touches from Pickford perhaps proving the difference between the ball sneaking in and striking the post, as it did.

As the ball bounced away, Pickford knew his efforts had been instrumental in ensuring local bragging rights were shared.

Asked whether he got a fingertip to that strike, Pickford told BT Sport: "Of course I did! It was one of them. I think I had a good game today, helping the lads.

"You need loads of leaders on the pitch and I think you can see that with the spirit we've got that. We didn't get three points but we got a draw and we keep building now."

His eight saves ranks as the most Pickford has made in a Premier League game while keeping a clean sheet, whether for Everton or his previous club, Sunderland.

The England goalkeeper was almost matched by Liverpool shot-stopper Alisson, who pulled off four saves, including a crucial stop to deny Everton new boy Neal Maupay.

Liverpool hit the woodwork three times in all, with Pickford turning a shot from Darwin Nunez against the bar and Luis Diaz sending a thumping drive against the right post.

Asked about the goalkeeping show, Pickford said: "It was good, yeah. Alisson made some wonderful saves as well – that's our job, help the team when they need it and it's my first clean sheet of the season, another building block for us as a team to get better."

Everton thought they had found a goal midway through the second half when Conor Coady tapped in after Maupay sent the ball across the six-yard box, but the defender had strayed narrowly offside.

"Very unfortunate [to have a] goal disallowed, you can see it was very tight," Pickford said. "I think we're just building, we've got that character now as a team and that team spirit, it's pushing us on. We haven't got a win on the board yet, but we've been hard to beat."

Everton have drawn four consecutive Premier League games for the first time since a run from October into November in 2012, which contained a 2-2 draw against Liverpool.

Liverpool, meanwhile, remain unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League away games against Everton (W3 D9) since a 2-0 loss in October 2010. 

The derby honours are often shared, and Pickford said of Everton's progress under Frank Lampard: "Four points, four draws, hard work, commitment, we'll keep building, get stronger and get the wins."

Jordan Pickford frustrated Liverpool with a stunning goalkeeping performance in an absorbing 0-0 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.

The England number one made a string of excellent saves, while opposite number Alisson also had to be sharp to prevent a home win in a Merseyside derby that could have been flooded with goals.

Both sides rattled the frame of the goal in the first half, Everton through Tom Davies before Liverpool's Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz followed suit, while Mohamed Salah was also denied by the woodwork late on.

Chances flowed in an open game, and Everton thought they had snatched the lead midway through the second half when former Liverpool academy player Conor Coady touched in Neal Maupay's cross, only to be denied when a VAR checked showed he was inches offside.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson made a smart early save to gather Anthony Gordon's fizzing strike after an Everton corner was only half-cleared, and the hosts came within a whisker of the opener when Davies smacked a shot from 12 yards against the left post.

Jurgen Klopp's visitors showed their threat before the break, though, when Nunez's excellent strike was tipped against the crossbar by Pickford, and from the rebound Diaz crashed a howitzer of a drive against the right post.

Seeking greater control, Klopp withdrew youngster Fabio Carvalho and brought on the experienced Roberto Firmino for the second half, with Liverpool soon asking more questions of Frank Lampard's men.

Nunez saw a volley comfortably gathered by Pickford, then Nathan Patterson went close for the Toffees, as Virgil van Dijk deflected his shot wide.

Amid a determined effort from the Reds to find a breakthrough, Pickford saved from Firmino twice in quick succession, firstly tipping a shot wide before parrying the Brazilian's header from a corner.

The goalkeeper thwarted Fabinho from close range too, before Everton debutant Maupay wasted the biggest chance of the game after a rapid counter-attack, shooting straight at Alisson who made himself big and pulled off the save.

Coady thought he was the hero, but closer examination of his 69th-minute tap-in left Everton deflated, their winless run at home in the league against their city rivals extending to 12 games.

It could have been worse, as Salah, quiet for so much of the game, almost won it in stoppage time, his shot cracking off the foot of the right post.

Liverpool are thrilled to have Arthur on board, but the on-loan Juventus midfielder will not be available against Everton, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

Arthur joined Liverpool on a one-season loan on Thursday, with the Reds having an option to buy the former Barcelona playmaker for £32.3million (€37.5m).

The Brazil international did not enjoy much success across the last two seasons in Turin, and had not featured in this campaign after making just 11 Serie A starts last term.

Liverpool had initially suggested their business was complete after the early acquisitions of Darwin Nunez, Calvin Ramsay and Fabio Carvalho, but injuries to Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson – who will definitely miss Saturday's derby at Goodison Park – forced Klopp's hand.

Despite it being a late deal, Klopp believes Arthur is an ideal solution to Liverpool's needs.

"Everyone was really happy about the transfer. He will not have international clearance but we all hope he will be fine for Napoli [in next week's Champions League tie]," said Klopp in a press conference.

"He's a really good footballer, we all agree on that, really exciting career already and still pretty young, coming to the best age for a footballer and he can give rhythm, he's a really good passer, quick with the ball, safe on the ball, really good in tight areas, all these kind of things, I like it a lot.

"Why can you loan a player like this? Because it didn't work out 100 per cent at Juventus but I see it as a positive because the potential is still there. We play differently to Juve, and we all thought he could fit pretty well, really pleased."

Klopp indicated that Keita would remain out for a sustained period with a muscular problem, though he is hoping Thiago will return to training next week.

Eddie Howe has claimed rival Premier League clubs have raised their asking prices as they "didn't want to be seen to be helping" Newcastle United.

Newcastle were bought last October in a controversial takeover funded in large part by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

The team, who were facing relegation, have improved drastically since then, helped by Howe's appointment as head coach and the investment of more than £200million in the transfer market.

However, Newcastle's attempts to do further business were hampered by the "narrative" around their wealth, Howe suggested on Friday, the day after a window in which they spent big money on Sven Botman and Alexander Isak closed.

"That was definitely something we felt in the market," he said ahead of Saturday's game against Crystal Palace.

"Domestic clubs didn't want to be seen to be helping us. We'll have to take that – that is part of where we are at the moment.

"We have certainly found there is no one there ready to do us a favour. It's the narrative regarding us that has changed.

"If there is anything domestically, teams will put their price up if it is Newcastle. That is the same around the world; that is something we are having to deal with.

"That is why we have walked away from a few deals, because I think it is important we are not seen as that club that will pay what is asked. I think it has to be fair."

Howe was asked if these difficulties had made the club more united, and while he hesitated in agreeing transfer business could have such an impact, he acknowledged: "There is a real feeling of us internally knowing we are against everybody else.

"That is healthy and I would embrace that. I would say we couldn't be more together at the moment."

Beyond their controversial owners, Howe's team were also unpopular in their approach to Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.

Having led in that game, Newcastle were accused of time-wasting by the Anfield crowd, who jeered them from the field after Fabio Carvalho's 98th-minute Reds winner.

It was put to Howe that this response and the market complications were due to Newcastle now being considered "contenders"; he disagreed they had yet achieved that status but had no issue with such a reaction.

"I will take that if we are contenders," he said. "But we have that all to prove. We are so early into the season.

"We need to elevate ourselves in points and league status to make sure we are seen as that. If that makes us unpopular, I will take it."