Everton have been drawn away to Liverpool in the FA Cup third round.
Wednesday’s 234th Merseyside derby at Anfield is set to be followed in swift succession by another meeting between the sides just four weeks later.
The Blues last faced off against their local rivals at the same stage of the competition in 2018, when they were downed by a late Virgil van Dijk goal.
Marco Silva’s side are already facing a difficult run of fixtures with games against Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City in the next month.
They will also take on Leicester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, just over two weeks after they suffered a stoppage-time defeat in the Premier League.
Everton travel to Anfield this week hoping to arrest a win-less run of 20 years while their FA Cup date offers a chance to end a 25-year silverware drought.
All ties will be played between January 3 and January 6 but the derby is likely to be a weekend date due to Liverpool’s game with Sheffield United on January 2.