The greatest league on the planet returns this weekend with a bang, starting off with the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. The Toffees head into the fixture on Saturday sitting top of the table, the position that Liverpool finished last season as the best team in the country.
In recent years, it’s largely been a one-sided affair, with the Reds regularly beating the Toffees. In fact, it will be 10 years to the exact day that Everton last won a Merseyside derby and that was a 2-0 victory courtesy of goals from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta. However, there is a newfound belief on the blue half of Merseyside that this weekend could finally see the high-flying Toffees end the hoodoo.
English Premier League
Saturday 17 October
Goodison Park
13:30
To Win
Everton 11/4
Draw 29/10
Liverpool 9/10
Everton
Everton go into the fixture looking to extend a perfect start to the season which has seen them win all four of their matches in impressive fashion, resulting in Carlo Ancelotti deservedly being named the Manager of the Month for September.
Ancelotti’s side have beaten Tottenham, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Brighton, making them one of only two teams left with a perfect record alongside Aston Villa. And their progress has been widely attributed to the triple swoop of James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Allan and Doucoure have transformed Everton’s midfield with the duo providing bite and dynamism to the engine room, whilst Rodriguez has been the icing on the cake, forming part of an exciting forward unit alongside Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who just can’t stop scoring at the moment.
But while Everton’s season has so far been one filled with positives, the form of Jordan Pickford does not come under that category. The England shot-stopper has had a couple of shaky moments in recent weeks which is cause for major concern.
It’s been a long wait without the taste of three points in this fixture for Everton, but Ancelotti’s side will strongly fancy their chances of pulling off a victory, especially after seeing the Reds suffer their worst Premier League defeat in a shock 7-2 thrashing by Aston Villa prior to the international break.
Liverpool
Liverpool come into the Merseyside derby on the back of a 7-2 humiliation against Aston Villa in one of the most shocking results in Jurgen Klopp’s history.
The Reds will be desperate to bounce back from that damaging defeat, but with many members of the squad scattered around the world on international duty, Klopp has had very little time to work on what went horribly wrong against Villa.
To make matters worse, Naby Keita is said to have caught the coronavirus on international duty and will now have to go into self-isolation, ruling him out of the clash at Goodison Park.
However, Sadio Mane, Thiago Alcantara and Xherdan Shaqiri, who previously tested positive for coronavirus, are now out of quarantine and available for selection, while club captain Jordan Henderson is fully fit having featured for over an hour for England against Belgium on Sunday.
Liverpool are fifth in the standings, with only West Brom having conceded more than the 13 they have let in across all competitions so far this season. Klopp’s men know that victory over their bitter rivals would see them move level at the top of the Premier League table.
With Thiago and Henderson returning in midfield and Mane joining Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino in attack, the Reds will fancy their chances at Goodison Park. But the concern will be Adrian.
Probable line-ups:
Everton: 4-3-3
Pickford; Coleman, Mina, Keane, Digne; Allan, Doucoure, Gomes; James Rodriguez, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin.
Liverpool 4-3-3:
Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Prediction: Everton Win & Both Teams to Score – Yes (9/2)
For the first time for many years, Everton will understandably go into the Merseyside derby expecting to win. Ancelotti’s side are flying high at the moment with Rodriguez and Calvert-Lewin in red hot form. Despite having the best defensive record in the Premier League for the past two years, Liverpool have looked sloppy in defence this season, conceding seven against Aston Villa and three against Leeds. I’m backing Everton to claim a memorable win this weekend. Bet on the Matchbet & Both Teams to Score market and select Everton & Yes at 9/2.
Written by Chad N