Premier League Betting: Everton v Liverpool

Premier League / Jaymes Monte / 28 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Can either manager orchestrate a much needed victory in order to relieve the pressure?

Jaymes Monte takes a look at a crucial battle on the banks of the Mersey. Best Bet: Back Under 2.5 goals @ [1.95]

Back Under 2.5 goals @ 1.95;
Back The Draw @ 3.5;
Back Jamie Carragher & Marouane Fellaini to be shown a card @ 2.5

It is difficult to recall a time when the Merseyside derby was last played amidst such levels of doom and gloom. Both clubs appear to be wrestling for the right to lay claim to the most dismal season. In midweek Liverpool grabbed the initiative with their acrimonious exit from the Champions League, but Everton didn't leave it long before snatching it back with a first half capitulation against Hull then releasing news that new stadium plans had been rejected.

David Moyes and Rafael Benitez both point to their respective injury lists as reasons for their poor seasons. However, you have to offer greater sympathy to the Scotsman given the amount of cash that Benitez has had at his disposal over the years.

For this game Moyes welcomes back Marouane Fellaini and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov from suspension whilst Steven Pienaar is also pushing for a recall to the starting 11. There is also reason for hope in the red half of the city as Fernando Torres is expected to undergo a pre-match fitness test.

No doubt at some stage we will hear the now customary pre-match rally cry from Benitez and Steven Gerrard claiming that they can still rescue their season, but with each passing week that prophecy becomes increasingly unlikely. The truth is, this really could be a turning point to the season for whoever wins the match, but can we rely on either team to muster up what it takes to grab three points?

On recent results and performances I'm inclined to answer no. Thus the draw which is available at [3.5] would be the logical play on the match odds market, I certainly couldn't justify backing Liverpool at [2.2].

This will be the first time the sides have met since the infamous Tic Tac commercial incident when the Fourth round FA Cup tie was settled by a Dan Gosling strike deep in to Extra Time. In fact the last three Merseyside derbies have ended all square at the end of 90 minutes. And of the last seven head to heads only once has the scoreboard ticked over more than twice meaning that a bet on Under 2.5 goals at [1.95] looks to have some value attached to it, especially if Torres is not declared fit.

There is always a greater deal of interest in bookings markets for local derbies and with both teams really scrapping for results at present I can see this one being feisty. The man in the middle for this one is the league's most talked about referee of late, Mr Alan Wiley. Coincidentally (or perhaps not) he also refereed in last season's FA Cup replay between the sides where he issued seven yellow cards (one of which was in Extra Time) and one red card.

A scan across the bookings markets shows that a sending off is priced at [3.6], it is [2.2] the pair in the Bookings Match Bet market and you can buy bookings on the spread at around 64 points. The 'Shown a Card?' market could also prove interesting, Jamie Carragher (along with Scott Parker) is the most carded player in the league and can be backed here at around the [2.5] mark whilst Marouane Fellaini has already added five yellow cards to the 12 he picked up last season and is also available at around the [2.5] mark.

Only time will tell whether a victory here will prove to be a turning point for either team or whether it will be yet another false dawn in a so far catastrophic season of football on Merseyside. What can be guaranteed is that with both teams desperately scrapping for a change in fortunes this will be a fiercely contested match-up not to be missed.

Tags: everton, fernando torres, liverpool, Premier league betting, premier league injuries, steven gerrard