Everton v Liverpool: Merseyside Classic Kicks off the Premier League Weekend

With most sides having just seven games left until the end of the 2017/18 Premier League season, every match becomes vital at this stage. So, there is much more at stake than just bragging rights when Everton host Liverpool at Goodison in Saturday’s early kick off.

The home side briefly flirted with a first ever relegation from the EPL and while new manager Sam Allardyce has steadied things to an extent, Everton have just a slim chance of making the final Europa League place.

For Liverpool, a top four finish seems guaranteed and that would ensure Champions League football for next season but they will want to stave off the challenge from Spurs and finish third at worst, in order to avoid unnecessary qualifying rounds in the summer.

It’s all to play for but who’s coming home with the points?

Match Odds

Despite conceding home advantage, Liverpool are red hot favourites for this game and Jurgen Klopp’s side start as favourites at best odds of 15/16 with Unibet. The draw follows at a top price of 14/5 while the same bookie has the best of 7/2 on a win for Everton.

Former Everton striker Kevin Campbell said that he hoped Liverpool’s Champions League tie with Manchester City might affect their performance in this game but in contrast, their impressive 3-0 win leaves them buoyant. It is a quick turnaround from Wednesday night to Saturday lunchtime but based on form and the relative qualities of these two sides, it’s hard to look beyond a Liverpool victory.

Individual Goal Scorers

If odds of 15/16 in the result betting aren’t too tempting, we can look at the side markets and start with the first goalscorer. There are no surprises with the favourite here as Liverpool’s Mo Salah leads things off at best odds of 15/4 in a market that is dominated by the away side.

Roberto Firmino follows on at a top price of 5/1 with Unibet while even Liverpool’s subs get in on the act. Dominic Solanke can be backed at a best of 6/1 with Boylesports while Danny Ings is just further back at 13/2 with bet365.

The first mention for Everton comes from Cenk Tosun who is listed at a top price of 15/2 with bet365 and Sport Pesa while Oumar Niasse follows at a best of 17/2 with bet365 and BetBright. Meanwhile, there will be some interest in Wayne Rooney at his best odds of 9/1 with William Hill and 188Bet and as always, there is some good potential in midfield.

Everton’s Theo Walcott has been in decent scoring form since his move from Arsenal and he catches the eye at 12/1 with Sky Bet and Sun Bets while for Liverpool, a good pick could be Walcott’s former teammate, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was on target against Manchester City in midweek and starts at an excellent 16/1 with bet365.

There are lots of options there and it could be a sensible move to take Salah after scoring 29 goals in 31 league games since arriving at Anfield but he looks a little short. Instead, we’ll take Roberto Firmino who has 23 goals this season in 41 games in all competitions but we’ll switch to the anytime goals betting where he is listed at a best of 9/5 with Unibet and 888Sport.

Other Side Bets

In their last six matches both Liverpool and Everton have only failed to score in one of those fixtures so we like the Both Teams to Score option for this one. Liverpool’s defence has been tight, conceding just three goals in that period but with home advantage and a partisan crowd behind them the Toffees should find the net at least once.

BTTS is on offer at a top price of 10/13 with 10Bet and Sport Pesa and that’s quite a decent price for this fixture. Continuing with the popular side bets, Over 2.5 goals is quoted at best odds of 89/100 with MarathonBet but if you add another strike to that, Over 3.5 lifts quite considerably to a top price of 11/5 with Unibet and 888Sport.

However, as we’ve gone fairly short with our first two tips, we’ll end with something longer. It will be a fast turnaround for the Reds and these Derby games don’t always go with form but the nature of Liverpool’s performance against Manchester City suggests a tough afternoon for Everton so we’ll round off with a 3-1 Correct Score bet in favour of the visitors which is listed at a best of 16/1 with bet365.

Best Bets:

• Roberto Firmino to score anytime at 9/5 with Unibet
• Both Teams to Score at 10/13 with 10Bet
• Correct Score Everton 1 Liverpool 3 at 16/1 with bet365