Anfield will play host to the 246th Merseyside derby on Wednesday night as Liverpool take on near neighbours Everton.
It’s quite a fixture to mark the Reds’ return to action two-and-a-half weeks after their last game – the Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle – and Arne Slot’s side will have far more than just local bragging rights as a motivating factor.
The Dutchman was sent off after the final whistle amid scenes of acrimony in the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park in February, and he’ll also be looking for his team to return to winning ways as they begin their nine-match run-in towards potential Premier League title glory.
What are Merson and Sutton predicting for Merseyside derby?
Paul Merson and Chris Sutton have given their predictions for the midweek Merseyside derby, and they’re in agreement as to the final score.
The Sky Sports pundit wrote in his Sportskeeda column: “I expect Everton to make it hard for Liverpool, but I look at them and I don’t see an X-factor that can hurt the hosts at Anfield. Liverpool have not consistently blown teams away this season. They have just been efficient and consistently better than the others.”
Meanwhile, in his forecasts for BBC Sport, the former Blackburn striker stated: “Liverpool have had a break since going out of the Champions League and losing the Carabao Cup final, and I don’t think we will see them wobble here. Quite the opposite in fact, now their focus is just on the Premier League.
“The Reds also felt wronged by Everton’s late equaliser at Goodison Park in February so there will be all of that bubbling under, and Arne Slot’s side will feel they have a point to prove… There will be plenty of drama along the way, but I am pretty sure Liverpool will be back to their best form and end up taking the three points.”
Both Merson and Sutton have predicted the home side to triumph 2-0 at Anfield.
Logic goes out the window in a Merseyside derby
Should the duo’s predictions turn out to be accurate, it’d see Liverpool winning the home derby on a 2-0 scoreline for the fourth successive season.
Much more importantly, it’d revive positive momentum for the Reds after a difficult March and, depending on Arsenal’s result against Fulham on Tuesday, either restore the current 12-point gap or leave the Gunners with an even more daunting task to reel in the Premier League leaders.
Slot has been boosted ahead of his first Anfield derby by the involvement of Ryan Gravenberch and Alisson Becker in training today after their respective injury scares during the international break. Conor Bradley also trained, but The Athletic‘s James Pearce has indicated that Wednesday’s match will come too soon for the right-back to feature.
Ordinarily when first plays 15th in this division and has home advantage and a 36-point superiority, the only logical prediction is a commanding win for the team on top. However, as Liverpool fans know all too well, that goes out the window when it comes to an all-Merseyside clash.
Also, Everton make the trip across Stanley Park on a nine-match unbeaten run in the Premier League as they enjoy a revival under David Moyes, albeit that five of the last six have been drawn.
Nonetheless, if the Reds play to the levels that they’ve reached for most of the campaign so far, they should have enough quality throughout the pitch to claim local bragging rights and secure three vital points in the title race.
