Everton vs Liverpool
England Premier League.
Date: Monday, 19th December 2016
Kick-off at 20:00 UK.
Venue: Goodison Park, Liverpool.
Ashley Williams celebrates with teammates after scoring during the Premier League game between Everton and Arsenal on December 13, 2016© SilverHub
After a start full of optimism with four wins and a draw from their opening five league games, Everton have stumbled over the past three months and currently sit behind West Bromwich Albion in the table heading into Christmas.
Since losing their unbeaten record to Bournemouth in September, the Toffees have picked up just 10 points from a possible 33, winning only two of their last 11 outings.
However, Ronald Koeman's side will be feeling a lot better about themselves this Monday than they were last Monday, having ended a five-match winless streak with a surprise come-from-behind victory over title-chasing Arsenal.
Defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road last weekend would not have filled fans with optimism heading into a double-header against the Gunners and Liverpool, but goals from Seamus Coleman and Ashley Williams have now put Everton on the verge of back-to-back league wins for the first time since September.
The Toffees have now rescued a league-high 11 points from losing positions this season and are beginning to develop a reputation as strong finishers to games, having scored a goal in the final five minutes in four of their last five league outings, changing the outcome of the game in three of those.
Of course, they must be within striking distance of their opponents in the closing stages for that to happen on Monday, which could be a concern considering they are welcoming the league's top scorers to Goodison Park having kept just one clean sheet in their last 13 matches in all competitions.
However, the home advantage could prove important in this derby with Everton one of only three teams yet to lose in front of their own fans this season. Their last league defeat at Goodison Park came at the hands of Arsenal back in March.
The Toffees' home form has been in sharp contrast to their away form, where they have already lost five times this season, and four points from their last two home games against Manchester United and Arsenal will give them the confidence that they can more than hold their own against Liverpool too.
For what it's worth, Everton also have a good record in Merseyside derbies that have been played on a Monday, losing just one and winning three of the previous six.
Liverpool
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp watches on during the Premier League clash with Watford at Anfield on November 6, 2016© SilverHub
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has crammed a lot into his 14 months in charge of the club so far, including two cup finals, but this will be the German's first visit to Goodison Park.
The 1-1 draw in the corresponding fixture last season proved to be Brendan Rodgers's final match at the helm, and it is fair to say that the Liverpool who will make the short trip across Stanley Park on Monday are a much different proposition to the one that last made the visit.
Liverpool's form so far this season has hinted at a possible title challenge, with the gap to leaders Chelsea just six points as we approach the halfway stage of the campaign.
The Reds currently sit second in the table, but the scheduling of the fixture means that they are guaranteed to start Monday's match in third with Manchester City and Arsenal - the two teams directly below them - facing each other on Sunday. Indeed, Chelsea could go nine points clear of the Reds with a win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
However, as things stand Liverpool are 10 points and seven places better off than they were at the same stage of last season, and Klopp will be hoping that his side have overcome a recent blip that saw them throw away leads in a defeat to Bournemouth and a 2-2 draw with West Ham United.
Wednesday night saw them return to winning ways in impressive fashion against Middlesbrough, who had not been beaten at home by more than one goal all year before Liverpool's 3-0 triumph.
The Reds haven't managed back-to-back league wins since the start of November, but they are the joint-highest scorers away from home this season and have amassed the number amount of points on their travels as they have at Anfield.
The main concern for Liverpool so far this season has been their defensive record, with no team having conceded more in the top nine, although they have kept clean sheets in three of their last five league outings.
It is their goals at the other end of the pitch that have made the difference so far, though, and the current Liverpool side have already scored double the number they had managed after 16 games of last season.
Entertainment seems to be guaranteed with the Reds, whose 16 matches have seen a league-high 60 goals this season, but it is three points that they will be after on Monday as they look to keep the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the table.
Everton vs Liverpool: Head-to-head stats
Liverpool are unbeaten in the last 12 matches against Everton in all competitions, 11 of which are in the English Premier League. The majority of the games were draws, precisely 7, while the Reds won 5.
Everton’s last win over Liverpool can be dated back to 2010/11 season, at the Goodison Park. However, the latest 4 are draws with Liverpool winning 1 during the period. Going down the lane, it might look worse for Everton as they were only been able to register 3 home wins in 19 matches, while Liverpool won 9 alongside 7 draws.
Everton vs Liverpool: Predictions
Judging by the meetings between the two in past three seasons, this will be a fierce battle. This could be intense as both teams are in exceptional form. It is hard to separate the teams on paper, but goals are guaranteed on each end as Everton have scored in every home match this season and Liverpool in 7 of their 9 away matches. So both teams to score is our main pick for this match.
The last 4 derbies at Goodison Park have seen a minimum of 6 yellow cards. So our secondary tip for this match is to bet for the match to finish with over 5.5 cards at the end of 90 minutes.
Everton vs Liverpool: Bet Tips
Both Teams to Score at 5/7 (1.71)
Number of Cards in the match – Over 5.5 at 4/5 (1.80).
