Premier League: Mersey Derby is a High Stakes Drama

Everton vs Liverpool

Premier League: Everton vs Liverpool is known as the Friendly Rivalry, but that bonhomie may have to be put to one side on Saturday…because both teams are in desperate need of a victory.

No game is a must-win at this stage of the season, but a draw would not be a whole lot of use for either of the City rivals. A slow start to the campaign has left Liverpool seven points off the top of the table and, crucially, five points behind Manchester City. Meanwhile, Everton are three places behind Liverpool, currently in 15^th place and without a victory so far.

Everton don’t want another relegation battle while Liverpool certainly don’t want to wave City through for another title, so both teams will be desperate to make a big statement on Saturday and that means we’re in for high stakes drama.        

Talking Points

Nunez available for Liverpool

After this campaign was billed as another race between Liverpool and Manchester City, the early results have changed the mood a little. Arsenal are still setting the pace at the top of the table and have come in to a price of 13.00 to lift the title, while Liverpool have drifted out to 7.00. Of course, Manchester City are the team to beat with the Sky Blues at a short price of 1.37 to retain their title.

The summer signing of Darwin Nunez set the pulses racing at Anfield and he started with a bang; scoring in the Community Final victory over Manchester City and in the season opener against Fulham. Then he was red carded against Crystal Palace; so he missed the shock defeat to Manchester United and the subsequent massacre of Bournemouth. He will also miss the Reds’ midweek fixture at home to Newcastle, so that means he can face Everton.  

Liverpool’s slow start meant their match against newly promoted Bournemouth was a big opportunity to begin to put things right and boy, did they do that?! The Reds’ 9-0 drubbing of Bournemouth has been quickly followed by the departure of Cherries boss Scott Parker, which seems excessively harsh after four games. The other peculiarity was that Mo Salah played the whole game without scoring while Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz scored twice each.   

Diaz now has three goals and he may well start again in a front three alongside Firmino and Salah, but Liverpool fans will be desperate to see Nunez again, after his self inflicted forced absence.  

Coady and Tarkowski so important for Everton

Everton head coach Frank Lampard is a man under pressure to deliver. Last season the Toffees escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth and they are winless after five games of the new campaign. Following back to back defeats Everton have picked up three draws, against Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Leeds United.   

Of course there are at least ten teams in the relegation fight at the beginning of every Premier League campaign, but the way Fulham have started, Everton have become one of the three favourites for the drop. The Toffees are at a SBOTOP price of 2.88 to go down, with only newcomers Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest at a lower price.

Injuries to Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate mean that summer recruits Conor Coady and James Tarkowski have been paired together, and they looked like they had been in the Toffees defence for years as they repelled much of what Leeds could throw at them on Tuesday night. They have both played big parts for their former teams, Wolves and Burnley in the Premier League, and have both represented England.

Coady talked of his team’s hard graft and bravery in the draw with Leeds and Everton will need that all season, but Liverpool’s attack will present a different problem.  

Up front, following the departure of Richarlison, a lot is resting on the shoulders of young winger Anthony Gordon, who has scored two goals so far, and striker Demarai Gray.

History

With 28 wins to ten in the Premier League era, the red half of Liverpool has enjoyed the head-to-head Everton vs Liverpool results more than their blue neighbours over the past three decades, though there have been 25 draws. 

Liverpool did the double over their Mersey rival last season, with a 2-0 win at Anfield and a 4-1 at Goodison Park as Salah helped himself to a double, while Jordan Henderson and Diogo Jota piled more misery onto the Toffees, Gray getting their consolation.

Neither team is in sparkling form with Liverpool winning two, drawing two and losing two of the last six (before Wednesday’s match against Newcastle), while Everton have won one, draw three and lost two; but the pre-match Everton vs Liverpool betting odds

reckon Jurgen Klopp’s boys will win…and I agree.  

Betting Tip

At odds of 6.36 to win and 4.74 to draw Everton have an outside chance of frustrating the Reds. But Liverpool were at their ruthless best against the Cherries and they will surely be ready to gather some momentum; and they have too much quality for the Toffees.

 

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