Premier League: Everton Can Turn the Tables In Mersey Derby

Everton vs Liverpool

It’s one of the most anticipated fixtures in football, and the “Friendly Derby” is back again when Everton host Liverpool in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.

The Reds have had the better of this close relationship in recent years, and especially since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp has transformed them into European and domestic champions. But something is happening in the Blue half of the city.

The Toffees sit proudly at the top of the Premier League table with four wins from four, and three points above their illustrious neighbours and fans put it own to the influence of their boss Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian master is overseeing a quiet yet determined evolution at Goodson Park and in less than a year, he has turned the club into a genuine top four contender – if not an outside title bet.

There will be no fans making the usual trip across Stanley Park with the City in a third-tier lockdown, but fans throughout Merseyside and beyond will be huddled around their televisions sets to cheer their heroes on.

And the Toffees have a real hope of upsetting the champions.

Talking Points

Carlo has Everton dreaming again

Everton finished 12^th last season after Ancelotti had arrived in the midst of winter to find the club in a relegation battle.

He steadied the ship and over the summer, he has made some astute acquisitions to change the whole look of the side.

The Toffees have won all seven games this season – an achievement last seen at the club over a century ago – and they have scored a whopping 24 goals while conceding eight.

James Rodriguez has been every bit the Galactico the Toffees fans were hoping for since his arrival from Real Madrid. He’s made two assists and his vision and creativity has been a revelation at the club.

Meanwhile for Allan, who played under Ancelotti at Napoli, he has added a calm assurance to the midfield by strengthening the defence while supporting the attack.

Young striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been the chief beneficiary of these additions and he’s currently the joint top Premier League scorer with six goals, bagging at least one in each of Everton’s four league games.

Calvert-Lewin also scored on his England debut against Wales and is brimful of confidence. He’ll be desperate to get at the Liverpool defence which has shown some frailties over the past week or so.

The latest Premier League 2020 betting odds have Klopp’s Reds neck-and-neck with Manchester City to win the title, at odds of around 2.50 each, while Everton are at 20.00 and they are much shorter than they were at the very start of the season.

Take another look if Everton can beat their old rivals on Saturday!

Alisson Becker is out with a shoulder injury and will miss Liverpool's Premier League game against Everton — Liverpool’s Alisson during the match against Arsenal

Allison out for at least four weeks

Liverpool’s 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa was one of biggest Premier League 2020 results through this season and last.

Okay, three of the Villains goals were deflections, but that leaves another four times when the Reds’ defence was breached cleanly and clinically.

“All the things you should not do in a football game, we did tonight,” admitted a gloomy Klopp at the time.

Centre-back Joe Gomez had a poor game throughout, but the biggest problem facing Klopp is the loss of influential keeper Alisson.

The Brazilian stopper injured his shoulder in the warmup for the Villa game and is reported to be out for between four and six weeks. Adrian deputised and his weak pass let in Villa’s Ollie Watkins for the opening goal and that set the tone.

Everton have their own problem in goal with the erratic form of Jordan Pickford. But for Liverpool, the issue could be more serious as alongside Virgil van Dijk, Alisson is one of the main reasons Liverpool won the league last term.

At the other end of the pitch, it’s business as usual with Egyptian hitman Mo Salah scoring five goals so far.

History

The Toffees last won England’s top division back in 1987, three years before Liverpool lifted the title in 1990 – before the Reds’ 30 year wait for another triumph.

Back then, Carlo Ancelotti was in his prime as a midfielder with Roma and then Milan. Those are the glory days he is trying to bring back to Goodison Park.

If he can win this derby then the Everton fans will really start to believe, but he will have to overturn a one-sided head-to-head record.

The Blues have won just nine derbies in the Premier League era to Liverpool’s 26, though the last three meetings at Goodison Park have all been goalless draws.