Do the Reds slip up in the Merseyside derby of all places?

The coaching search at Liverpool Football Club has recently stalled somewhat. Just two weeks ago, it was assumed that the Portuguese Rúben Amorim would take over from Jürgen Klopp, but the Reds have now had a rethink. The current Sporting Lisbon coach, who is rumored to have met with club representatives from West Ham United, is apparently no longer the first choice to follow in the huge footsteps of the German club legend

So while the process of selecting a new LFC coach drags on, the professionals must focus on the essentials and complete a must-win task in the race for the English Championship on Wednesday. Although the Merseyside derby is of course particularly explosive and the Blues would logically like to spit in their city rivals’ soup when it comes to winning the title, the odds on the three-way market ahead of the Everton v Liverpool match leave no other conclusion than to make the current Premier League runners-up the favorites.

In recent years, however, the Toffees have generally not had much to say against their prominent city rivals. The Blue & Whites have failed to win any of their last twelve PL home games. However, nine of these twelve encounters ended in draws, meaning that Wednesday evening’s Liverpool city duel between Everton and Liverpool, often referred to as the “friendly derby”, is unlikely to be an away three-pointer.

Everton – statistics & current form

Everton Football Club breathed a sigh of relief at the weekend. On Sunday lunchtime, the immensely important home game against direct rivals Nottingham was won 2-0. Thanks to goals from Gueye and McNeil, manager Sean Dyche’s team deservedly retained the upper hand and moved away from the immediate relegation zone thanks to their second home win in a row. Although the spectre of relegation has not yet been finally banished from the blue side of Liverpool in 16th place, the starting position has improved dramatically with a five-point lead.

However, the Toffees are far from being a stable team, as was made clear just under ten days ago when they were thrashed 6-0 at Chelsea FC. In general, the Blues have had a disappointing 2024 so far, with fans having to wait until early April for their team’s first Premier League win since the turn of the year. Looking back at the last 16 league games, there were only two wins to celebrate. Eight defeats and six draws round off their poor record in this period

Everton’s poor record on Wednesday nights
Although the aforementioned victories over Burnley (1-0) and Nottingham (2-0) have boosted Everton’s confidence and certainly lifted a certain weight off the shoulders of the players, it is doubtful that the Blue & Whites will win three Premier League home games in a row for the first time since the summer of 2021. Dyche’s side are still one of the weakest home teams in the English top flight, having scored the fewest goals in front of their own fans (18) behind Burnley. They suffered defeats at Goodison Park against Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.

To make matters worse, the Toffees are not necessarily known as experts for floodlit matches during the week. The nine-time English champions won just one of nine PL matches played between Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesdays, the traditional club has been waiting for seven league games without a full success.

We assume that this will not change in the Merseyside derby and that a prediction between Everton and Liverpool is the most promising option for the title contenders. In addition to Beto, who suffered a head injury against Nottingham, Dobbin, Alli, Coleman and Patterson will also be missing. All the more responsibility falls on Dwight McNeil, who leads the club’s internal scoring charts with eight goals, but is yet to score his first goal or provide his first assist in ten matches against LFC.

Predicted Everton line-up:

Liverpool – Statistics & current form

Liverpool FC bounced back in the English Premier League title race last weekend. After just two wins from their previous five games, the Reds deservedly won their complicated visit to Fulham 3:1 thanks to an improved performance in the second half.

However, as Klopp’s side still have the worse goal difference compared to Arsenal and Manchester City could even overtake the runners-up on points with a win in the replay, LFC currently have the worst chance of winning the title. Especially considering the fact that the remaining program with matches against Tottenham or at Aston Villa is still very tough

The Reds love Wednesdays

In order to underline their own ambitions and at the same time keep the pressure on the competition high, all that counts on Wednesday evening in the Merseyside derby is a three-pointer. In his 17th and final Liverpool city derby, coach Jürgen Klopp could even make history. So far, the former Dortmund man has nine wins in 16 attempts. No LFC coach has ever achieved a double-digit number of Premier League victories against their rivals from the same city. The prospects are rosy in this regard, as the Everton vs Liverpool odds on offer imply a 67% probability of victory in favor of the title contenders.

While we have discussed the Wednesday weakness of the hosts, the exact opposite applies to the Reds. Here, the statistics show twelve consecutive Premier League wins with 33:5 goals on Wednesday nights. However, that is by no means the only argument that should swing the pendulum quite clearly in the direction of Mo Salah and Co. this time. There is also the enormous offensive power, which has recently been reflected too rarely in the corresponding output. If the form curve continues to rise in terms of chance conversion, nothing stands in the way of a commanding away win.

The aforementioned Mohamed Salah is probably the most likely potential goalscorer in this eagerly anticipated friendly derby. The right winger has been involved in six goals in his last five PL games against Everton and also scored twice in the first leg. Goalscorer bets are now part of the fixed portfolio of most bookmakers

Predicted Liverpool line-up:

Everton – Liverpool head-to-head comparison / H2H result

For the 210th time, the Merseyside derby in the English top flight is on the agenda. Liverpool have left the pitch victorious on 82 occasions and thus lead the direct comparison (82-69-58). The Toffees haven’t had much to say against the Reds in recent years either. In fact, Everton have only won one of the last 26 PL duels (1-13-12). At home, the Blues have been without a win against LFC for twelve league games, although they have only won three of those twelve encounters at Goodison Park (3-9-0).

The first leg in October, however, was a relatively clear-cut affair in favor of Klopp’s side. The 2-0 win was also the fourth time in a row that the Toffees had failed to score against the Reds. If this streak continues, it also increases the chances of a prediction of a three-goal win with at least a two-goal difference between Everton and Liverpool on Wednesday evening

Everton – Liverpool betting tip

Some important catch-up games are scheduled in England during the week. For example, all three title contenders are challenged. Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool all face tough tasks, although the Reds have the weakest opponent in terms of the table. However, the task at Goodison Park should not be taken lightly, as LFC have only won three of the last twelve Merseyside derbies at Everton FC and the Toffees go into this match with the recommendation and confidence of two home wins in a row.

Nevertheless, we agree with the bookmakers regarding the Everton vs Liverpool betting odds and think a three-goal win is very likely. The Reds can’t afford to slip up, are real Wednesday experts and took another step in the right direction with their 3-1 win at Fulham at the weekend. As LFC have only lost one of their last 26 PL duels against the Blues and also came out on top 2-0 in the first leg, we expect the favorites to win again.

In our opinion, it is even conceivable to bet on a handicap win for Klopp’s team between Everton and Liverpool. At Oddset, you can dust off a 2.05 at the top for an away win with at least a two-goal difference.