The English Premier League Round 30 is on the schedule this weekend and there are some pretty interesting matchups. The League leaders, Chelsea will host Crystal Palace at the Stamford Bridge while Manchester United will also play at home as they get ready to host West Bromwich Albion. However, we will turn our focus to the opening match of this round, the 288th Merseyside derby between the two Liverpool city foes, Liverpool FC and Everton FC.
LIVERPOOL FC vs. EVERTON FC
3-Way: 1: Liverpool FC -135; X: +320 Draw; Everton FC +450
Spread 0.5: Liverpool FC -135; Everton FC +131
Total 2.5: Over -125; Under +122
The Liverpool Reds will host their city rivals the Everton Blues in the opening fixture of the English Premier League Round 30. Liverpool currently ranks fourth on the League table with 56 points in 29 games played, four points ahead of Manchester United who also has two games less than the Reds (27). In front of them is Chelsea that tops the league with 10 points advantage over the second ranked Tottenham (59) and third ranked Manchester City (57). All three teams have one game less than Liverpool, meaning that the Reds can’t afford many flops in the remaining nine games left before the season ends. A victory over the Blues is an imperative, which would make the Reds Champions League spot case stronger. Nevertheless, there are many reasons to be optimistic. The Reds lead the overall series that dates back to 1894, with 116 victories oppose to 82 wins by Everton. 80 matchups finished with a draw. Also, Liverpool won the first meeting this season at the Goodison Park, 0-1 with Mane scoring in the final moments of the game. The players on the international duty have showed that they are in good form as Ragnar Klavan had a great performance for Estonia national team in an upset win over Croatia in Tallin, and Philippe Coutinho scored for Brazil against Paraguay. Sadio Mane leads the team in scoring this year with 12 goals while Adam Lallana tops the passing segment with seven assists.
When it comes to their recent form, the Reds are 3-2-3 in their last eight games and 3-1-0 in their last four home matches. They are undefeated in the last three rounds and they have three consecutive victories at home against Tottenham (2:0), Arsenal (3:1) and most recently Burnley (2:1). They’ve scored in 93% of their home matches including their last 11 home games. The Reds earned 33 of 42 possible points at home and rank fourth in the home games table behind Tottenham, Chelsea and Everton.
The list of injured players for the Reds is a long one. The good news is that Roberto Firmino (Illness) should be available to play on Saturday, but Adam Lallana (Thigh), Daniel Sturridge (Hip injury), Jordan Henderson (Bruised Foot) and Ovie Ejaria (Ankle) are all a major doubt for this weekend. Danny Ings (Knee) will be out until at least June 1, 2017.
The Everton FC ranks seventh in the Premier league with 50 points in 29 games. Earning the chance to enter one of the European competitions (most possibly the Europa league) is a big possibility but they’ll have to continue with good plays. The Blues have seven points advantage over the eighth ranked West Bromwich Albion who are playing against Manchester United at Old Trafford this weekend and a good result at Anfield would probably extend that advantage even further. Arsenal also collected 50 points but they’ve played two games less than Everton, same as Manchester United who has 52 points and are ranked fifth. Everton is 5-2-1 in the last eight games and 1-2-1 on the road with a most recent loss against Tottenham, 3-2. They play much better at home, but are solid on the road too with 4-4-6 record and 16 of 42 possible points earned (32 % of the overall points). Everton FC Striker, Romelu Lukaku is having a great season as he tops the team and the league in goals scored with 21. He also managed to collect six assists (10th in the league), ranking second on the team behind Ross Barkley who has seven (6th in the league).
The injury list resembles the Liverpool FC’s one as the Blues have quite a few players possibly to miss this matchup. Ramiro Funes Mori (Knee), Seamus Coleman (Broken Leg) and James McCarthy are all out with unspecified return date while Morgan Schneiderlin is expected to be back on April 1, but will almost certainly be unavailable for Saturday. Muhamed Besic (Knee) is expected to be out until at least April 30th, 2017, and Yannick Bolasie (Knee) will be out until January next year.
The Liverpool FC holds the advantage because of the home crowd but it’s far from a certain win. Everton hasn’t won a game against Liverpool since October 17, 2010, and they haven’t won at the Anfield since September 27, 1999. Having in mind both teams recent form, it will be hard to predict the final result but I expect the scoring spree to continue at the Anfield with at least 3 goals, which is why I am taking the Over set at 2.5 goals (-125)!!!
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-125)
