Liverpool vs Everton Betting Tips (13/02/23) – Could the Merseyside Derby Come at a Worse Time for the Reds?

Any slim hope Liverpool had of finishing in the Premier League’s top four this season seems dead in the water following a 0-3 thrashing at Wolves on Saturday. The Reds are now eleven points behind Newcastle, who currently sit in the final Champions League berth, and it’s very difficult to see how they can make up the shortfall given their woeful form at the moment.

Jurgen Klopp can point to the glorious chances spurned by Darwin Nunez and Andy Robertson at Molineux, but this was again an exercise in futility as Liverpool’s defending went from the comical to the downright maniacal.

Joel Matip got the show up and running with an own goal after just five minutes, before no Liverpool defender seemed to see 6ft 2in Craig Dawson standing all alone in the penalty area. He slammed home to add Wolves’ second on his debut.

The Midlanders’ third came in the 71st minute when Adama Traore burst clear on the counter to set up Ruben Neves.

The Reds did have chances to reduce the deficit, but then Wolves had opportunities to extend their lead as well – Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez the guilty parties.

Liverpool were marginally better in the second half, but this was another wretched display in a long line of them – Reds fans must be fearing the visit of Everton to Anfield on Monday evening.

The Toffees appear to have been galvanised by new boss Sean Dyche, playing top-of-the-table Arsenal off the park in a 1-0 victory that could have been a wider margin. Liverpool’s timing is as bad as their defending right now….

Liverpool Team News

At this point, trying to second-guess Klopp’s team selection is becoming increasingly difficult as he tries to find a solution to his side’s many issues.

For a while, it appeared as if the balance in midfield between Stefan Bajcetic, Naby Keita and Thiago was working, but a lack of organisation was exposed by Wolves and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see more changes made in this department.

Who comes in is anybody’s guess, although Jordan Henderson might be an option for what will be a passionate Merseyside derby ahead of Keita.

Salah, Nunez and Gakpo is Liverpool’s best frontline, while injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate mean that Matip and Joe Gomez have to continue as the central defensive pairing against better judgement.

Everton Form

Everton’s form prior to Dyche’s arrival can be all but ignored.

Frank Lampard simply didn’t have the skills to get a tune out of a fairly humdrum set of players, with four defeats on the bounce – in which eleven goals were conceded – signalling the end of his tenure at Goodison Park.

But against the Gunners, the Dyche-led Everton appeared to be better organised, tougher to break down and even had a cutting edge in attack – Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucoure spurning glorious chances to increase their side’s 1-0 victory.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer, as the old saying goes, but Everton appear to be a team reborn under the leadership of the ‘ginger Mourinho’.

Liverpool vs Wolves Betting Tips

Liverpool are priced as short as 1/2 to win this game, but even the most hardened Reds Supporter would do well to make a case for that as a value selection.

The upshot is that you can land some decent value on Everton with positive handicaps – for those betting at bookies that offer Asian handicaps, taking the Toffees at 7/10 with a +1.25 lead seems more than fair.

There’s some hefty prices available in the goals markets too. Both Teams to Score, at 10/11, is the pick of the bunch. Liverpool’s central defensive partnership of Matip-Gomez does not inspire confidence, while Everton ran up 1.91 of xG against an Arsenal side that many consider to be the best in the Premier League right now.

Salah and co drew a blank against Wolves, but they fashioned 1.89 of xG at Molineux and chance creation is not something the Reds struggle with. If Everton’s midfield presses as high as they did against Arsenal, there will be gaps in behind for Liverpool’s attackers to expose.

If you want to extend the above logic of that selection, Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 Goals at odds of 13/10 is also worthy of a second look.