Merseyside Derby Betting Tips Suggest Liverpool Victory
An energised Liverpool side will surely have a spring in their step for quite a while after their deconstruction of Manchester City at Anfield in midweek - and they won’t have a long way to bounce across Stanley Park this Saturday lunchtime to contest the Merseyside derby in a Premier League clash with Everton.
Klopp’s side were sublime during their 3-0 victory on Wednesday and the mood around the club is overwhelmingly positive after what will go down as another memorable night in the annals of their European history. You could hardly say the same about the mood of the blue side of the city, with Sam Allardyce’s Everton team looking short on inspiration since they completed their climb out of relegation trouble.
The Toffee’s faithful have turned against a manager who will likely be doing a backdoor boogey at the end of the season. Contrasting fortunes, then, for the eternal rivals as they clash. I’ve run through the best football betting markets around the game in the aims of picking out a couple of angles worth examining ahead of the weekend.
Liverpool Offer Value in Win-Draw-Win Market
For all that form often goes out the proverbial window on these occasions it’s difficult to overstate the difference in experiences these two outfits have had in recent times. The hosts are available at lofty 7/2 at Black Type to give Allardyce a sorely needed win, while the draw can be taken at 11/4 with Bet365.
Those wishing to have both of those eventualities onside can get with the home/draw selection in the Double Chance market at 10/11 with Betfair. For me, though, it’s difficult to justify taking a position on either of the outcomes in which Everton take something from this game, so bad have they been of late. It’s Liverpool that look the better play and they’re available at a surprisingly generous 5/6 at Matchbook.
The league’s third-placed side will have to overcome their midweek exertions, and a hostile home crowd, but I still didn’t expect to see them being priced up at a shade short of even money for this one. For those looking to keep things simple in their wagering, I wouldn’t put you off taking the visitors at that sort of price. For punters who like to look for a bit more juice for their squeeze, there’s a couple of different ways to look at getting a variation of a Liverpool win onside.
With a strong Liverpool display forecasted handicaps come into the equation, with Liverpool (-1) available at 9/4 with William Hill and (-2) on offer at 6/1 with 888Sport. A more attractive proposition though, is to double up the Liverpool win with over 2.5 total goals in the Match Result & Overs/Unders market.
This approach keeps the eventuality of a Liverpool demolition job onside - while also covering a more hard-fought win if Everton do manage to get on the scoresheet. BetBright offer odds of 7/4 about the Liverpool/Over 2.5 option and, all things considered, that’s the recommended play.
Card Count Could Fly Up
This tie is one of the most fiercely contested in the game and there’s no reason to think a few meaty challenges won’t be flying in this Saturday. An Everton side that will likely be chasing shadows for large parts of this game might well get frustrated, and a raucous home side behind them should get things simmering up nicely.
The likelihood of a card-heavy affair is boosted by Michael Oliver’s appointment as referee for the tie. The 33-year-old has refereed 35 competitive ties this term, dishing out a whopping 125 yellow cards and six reds. It seems natural then, to get a high booking count onside in one way or another. The over/under for total booking points has been set at 45-65 and that’s just high enough to warn me off getting involved.
One way which I am keen to play the card markets is by taking Everton to have over three cards in the Total Team Cards market, on offer at 5/2 with William Hill. With a rampant Liverpool attack to contain and Big Sam in their ear riling them up, I could see the home side racking up four cards without too much trouble. I’ll take a bit of that on the side of my main interest in what should be an entertaining affair on Merseyside.
