Liverpool v Everton Live – Should You Back Reds To Win First Merseyside Derby Under Klopp?

Wednesday 20th April. 8PM. Sky Sports 1

Last Thursday night, Anfield played host to one of the most incredible nights of entertainment that you’re ever likely to see. And we could be in for lots more drama as Jurgen Klopp prepares for his first ever Merseyside derby.

A glance at the Premier League table would suggest that this fixture isn’t quite as big as it has been in recent years, but there’s plenty to play for at Anfield and both clubs will be desperate to register a crucial victory.

Prepare yourselves for another explosive encounter.

Reds Need A Win

The Europa League looks like Liverpool’s only realistic hope of Champions League qualification, but the Reds will still be looking to confirm a European spot through their league standing. They can go a long way to achieving that with a win in the derby, and the Kop will be expecting.

Only Spurs have score more Premier League goals than Jurgen Klopp’s men in 2016 and have seen huge improvements from the likes of Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi. With Daniel Sturridge playing well too, the Reds certainly have a lot to be pleased about going forward.

Perhaps more impressively, they’re starting to look a little better defensively. It’s still far from perfect, especially with Jordan Henderson absent through injury, but they’ll be confident about beating their local rivals.

If they do, it could be crucial in their bid for a top six finish.

Can Martinez Save His Job?

Despite seeming to perform fairly well at times, this has been a difficult season for Everton in terms of results and the Toffees are now stuck in the bottom half of the table. Having seen Brendan Rodgers lose his job after the first derby of the season, it’s now Roberto Martinez’s turn to sweat over his managerial future.

Large sections of the Goodison Park crowd have voiced their displeasure and a defeat here could be the final straw. However, the visitors can look to star man Romelu Lukaku for inspiration. The Belgian boast 18 goals by himself this term. If he links up with Ross Barkley, the Toffees might cause an upset.

Results haven’t been kind to Everton, though, and they enter this clash having failed to win any of their last six league games. Meanwhile, their weekend FA Cup semi-final at Wembley could prove to be a distraction too.

Nevertheless, the Toffees will be out for sweet success. Expect a committed performance if nothing else.

Liverpool v Everton Betting

The bookmakers have established Liverpool as firm favourites for this one, with Bet365 pricing them at 8/11 for the win. Meanwhile, Everton can be backed at 4/1 and the draw is 3/1.

Anything can happen in the derby, but it does feel as though the stars are aligned for Liverpool. Everton’s focus won’t be fully on this contest. More importantly, the Toffees just cannot buy a win in the league.

With Liverpool boasting good confidence after recent results, we think they’ll win with comfort. However, we’re playing safe and backing the Asian handicap rather than the three-way.

Liverpool do boast a number of attacking options that are all looking dangerous right now. However, it’s Philippe Coutinho that stands out as the most consistent threat for Klopp’s men.

The Brazilian has been brilliant during his time at Anfield. At odds of 13/2, we’re backing him to follow up last Thursday’s glorious strike by opening the scoring here.