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Liverpool vs Everton is a time of high tension in the Rooney household. Whereas Wayne Rooney has obvious ties to Everton (though he ended up partying with Arne Slot in the summer), Coleen's allegiances lie with the Red half of the city.
So there will be differing attitudes in the house at the weekend, when Liverpool attempts to make it six wins out of six to start the campaign. Everton has also started brightly, and a rare win at Anfield could at least temporarily lift the Toffees to second (albeit still behind the Reds).
So far, Slot has had a reasonable introduction to this storied fixture. The late Diogo Jota did what he did best in the Anfield clash last year, scoring the decisive goal, while only a controversial 98th-minute equalizer saved Everton from defeat in the final derby at Goodison Park.
In fact, Everton has just one solitary win at Anfield this millennium. That came in 2021, with the major caveat that fans were absent due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Aside from that, the last time Everton even earned a draw was in 2017. So while Slot won't be taking anything for granted, history tells us that Coleen should be the happier of the Rooneys on Saturday.
That could lead to some fairly major pranking. Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former Everton and Manchester United striker revealed that the divided loyalties have caused issues in the past.
"When Liverpool won the Premier League a few years ago I came home, I was at Derby at the time, and Coleen's got Liverpool flags up outside the house," Rooney recounted. "It was our old house, so outside the front door there's a little balcony thing and the flag was outside the window there, so I told her to go and get it down.
"She went up and you had to actually climb out the window to get it down. So she went up and I locked her out."
Fortunately, Rooney admitted that Coleen was not left outside for "too long". That would have given a light-hearted story a whole new complexion.
As it is, it's a classic story from a city that houses two storied clubs. The Rooney marriage is far from the only one that is split down red and blue lines.
That's what gives the fixture such an allure. The stakes are rarely more personal.
Even imports to the rivalry understand how much it means. Hugo Ekitike recently warned that Liverpool would need to be ready for "war".
On the other hand, Slot will be impressing on his team the importance of playing the match rather than the occasion. Even with David Moyes starting so strongly this season, there can be no doubt that Liverpool has the better side, and will win if at its best.
It's the latest in a barrage of early tests to the Reds' mentality. Liverpool has faced an absurdly fired-up Newcastle side, and a fixture against last season's runner-up, not to mention a meeting with a Bournemouth side that has since won every other match — and it has emerged with maximum points.
It's far too early for Coleen to start preparing the flags for another end-of-season celebration. But Wayne Rooney, who only scored seven times in 30 matches against Liverpool, will fear yet another disappointing derby day.
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