The Merseyside derby

Liverpool will welcome city rivals Everton to the Merseyside derby in the (officially) 23rd round of the Premier League. While Liverpool FC in 10th place has long lost contact with the top of the table, Everton FC is in the middle of a relegation battle with 15 rounds to go. Due to the better starting position for the Reds, bookmakers clearly favor Liverpool FC. 

Before the season even the boldest pessimists would not have believed that the great Liverpool FC was in 10th place in the table after 20 Premier League rounds and was thus stuck in the middle of insignificance. 
The "Reds" have 8 wins, 5 draws and 7 (!) defeats (29 points) and are already 10 points behind Tottenham, who have the first possible place in the European Cup. The Klopp team is currently dueling for a single-digit place in the table with Chelsea, who are also struggling, and promoted Fulham. Brentford and Brighton, who performed strongly this year, already have a smaller cushion with 4 and 5 points respectively ahead of Liverpool. To the rear, the Reds feel Aston Villa breathing in their neck, which currently has 28 points. 

Are you new to our Betandyou blog? Well, check out our promotions!

Liverpool analysis

The fact that the bookmakers' odds of winning are so clearly in Liverpool's favor (1.53) is probably due to Liverpool's home strength, which has been unbeaten at Anfield Road since October 29, 2022. Despite Liverpool's current mini-crisis - more on that below - the Reds are operating from a much better starting position than their stumbling rivals. The possibility that the teams draw is at least rated at a rate of 4.20. 
It is official that Liverpool is currently in a mini-crisis. The 19-time English champions have yet to win a league game in calendar year 2023 . Jürgen Klopp's out-of-form team lost to Brentford (1-3), Brighton (0-3) and Wolverhampton (0-3) away. Above all, the significant drop in performance against the Wolves came as a surprise to many, after all, the Wolves had been thrown out of the FA Cup just under two weeks earlier. The only point they won in front of their own audience against Chelsea, who were also struggling. The Reds fans are also hoping for home strength next Monday. However, relying solely on that is not an option for Jürgen Klopp.The German star coach and former master maker was unusually harsh with his team and called for a return to the well-known virtues.

Liverpool FC is staggering through the Premier League season. There have been bright moments in the current season - for example, Tottenham or Manchester City could be brought to their knees this year. However, the Klopp-Elf is highly vulnerable, especially against supposedly weaker opponents. They have already lost to Nottingham, Leeds, Brentford, Brighton and Wolverhampton this year, and they also dropped points against Crystal Palace and Fulham. The first leg against Everton at Goodison Park ended 1-1.

It should not go unmentioned at this point that Liverpool is being hit by the injury devil more than ever this year. Liverpool rocker Virgil Van Dijk has been ruled out since early January with a hamstring injury.The absence of the two left wing players is at least as painful: The Colombian Luis Diaz, who was indispensable for the Reds last season, has been suffering from a knee injury since the beginning of October, which will probably not be cured before March. The Portuguese Diogo Jota has been plagued with a calf injury since October, which should also take some time. The replacement for these two absolute key Reds players came from Eindhoven in the winter for €42m and is called Cody Gakpo. The Dutchman, who played an eye-catching World Cup, has yet to gain a foothold in the Reds' squad.

Everton analysis

One thing is certain before the big Merseyside derby. A clash between two city rivals always has its own laws, especially when both clubs stumble like this season. Everton recently reacted to the long-lasting series of failures, dismissed coach Frank Lampard in January and presented days later with Sean Dyche, a highly interesting man who had previously coached Burnley FC for 10 years . The Englishman is not only regarded as an absolute tactical fox, but should also have prevailed in Everton's pre-selection against calibers like Ralph Hasenhüttl.

Everton supporters were able to see for themselves that Sean Dyche knows his stuff when they defeated leaders Arsenal 1-0 at Goodison Park. It was not only the leaders' first league defeat since the beginning of September, but also the first full success for Everton after a dry spell of 8 games in a row without a win. The last three was previously scored against Crystal Palace in October 2022. Since then, the “Toffees” have lost a total of six times with two draws. After only just avoiding relegation last season (16th place), there is an acute fire on the roof again this year.

In short: It doesn't look rosy. The traditional blue-colored club from Liverpool is currently in a relegation zone and is only one point ahead of pursuers Bournemouth and three over Southampton FC. At least there is a small ray of hope: With West Ham, Leeds United, Wolverhampton and Leicester, Everton has four other immediate relegation candidates within striking distance. What neo-coach Dyche can build on is above all Everton's defence. 28 goals conceded from 21 league games is quite respectable – for comparison: third-placed Manchester United are currently conceding 28 goals.

Everton's Achilles' heel is quickly identified. With only 16 goals this season (in 21 games), Everton currently has the second-worst offensive after Wolverhampton. Both of the club's top scorers are left wingers and are currently on a meager three goals - Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon. The latter left the Toffees for Newcastle for €45m during the winter break. The departure of Torgarant Richarlison (last summer to Tottenham) was not sufficiently compensated by the club officials.Neither Richarlison substitute Neal Maupay, coming from Brighton, was able to make an impact up front. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in whom Everton officials place a lot of hope, also has a miserable goal tally of just one goal this season.

Liverpool - Everton: What to expect? 

In the all-time record, Liverpool is firmly in the red hands. Everton have only inflicted a single defeat on their eternal city rivals in the last eleven years (exactly 2 years ago in a 2-0 away win at Anfield). But don't let the statistics mislead you, because the new coach has brought a breath of fresh air to Everton - most recently with the 1-0 win against leaders Arsenal. 

Liverpool, on the other hand, is struggling and is still waiting for their first league win in the current calendar year. There is no doubt that an exciting Merseyside derby is in store for us next Monday. For friends of risk, we recommend a draw (X) with an average odds of 4.00.

• Draw
• Under 2.5

* All odds and markets are correct at time of publication and subject to change.