The 241st Merseyside derby kicks off this weekend’s Premier League schedule with Everton still bidding for their first league win of the season, something they have not achieved at Anfield against Liverpool in nearly 12 years. Frank Lampard’s side might have given an impressive account of themselves at Anfield last season but this rivalry has been extremely one-sided of late. Only a 2-0 win in 2021 breaks the sea of red wins in the recent history of this fixture, one in which the Anfield club were undefeated throughout the 2010s.
Both sides had hectic ends to the transfer window, bringing in new options for their midfield who could yet feature on the weekend. LIverpool added Arthur whilst Idrissa Gana Gueye and James Garner have made the move to Merseyside. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
How to watch and odds
Date: Saturday, Sep. 3 | Time: 7:30 a.m. ET
Location: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England
TV: USA | Live Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
In Canada: fubo Sports Network Canada
Odds: Everton +700; Draw +380; Liverpool -275 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Featured Game | Everton vs. Liverpool
Storylines
Everton: It has hardly been a riveting start to the new season under Frank Lampard but three straight 1-1 draws do at least have points on the board after a difficult pair of early season games. It seems that Everton are keeping it tight on the scoresheet with a reasonable six goals conceded from five matches but that may just be down to a bright start by Jordan Pickford, who may not have kept a clean sheet, but according to Opta metrics, he is the fifth most effective goalkeeper in terms of goals prevented.
Meanwhile at the other end Anthony Gordon has at least started to find the net with goals in both of his last two games. The addition of Neal Maupay could ease the pressure on the young forward after his failed move to Chelsea.
Liverpool: A battling late victory over Newcastle certainly invigorated Anfield but it was yet another game in which Jurgen Klopp’s side had to overcome an early setback, for the fourth time in their last five Premier League matches they conceded the opening goal. To do so at Goodison Park would make a tough task all the more difficult.
“They are tight games most of the time,” said Jurgen Klopp ahead of the match. “It’ll be a big fight and we cannot ignore that but you have to play football as well. That’s the challenge. Newcastle was perfect preparation because it was super intense and showed us what we had to expect. If didn’t know it, we know after Wednesday. The last few years I’m involved in most of these draws [8 in 10] but they were all different. They were intense, with a lot of fight.”
Prediction
Everton are likely to put Liverpool through the ringer but may just find they lack the cutting edge to get the points. Pick: Liverpool 2, Everton 1
KVSP