Football

The Premier League weekend kicks off with a Merseyside Derby on Saturday at lunchtime, and Dan Tracey has provided some Everton v Liverpool predictions ahead of the game. Check out our free Everton v Liverpool predictions, plus the best football betting offers and football betting tips from our collection of online bookmakers. There may be a chasm between Everton and Liverpool in terms of league position but that does not make the latest edition of the Merseyside Derby any less appealing and with the Toffees having returned to winning ways in midweek, they will be keen to build on such a performance. A performance that not only heaped further pressure on the shoulders of Wolves manager Gary O’Neil but also eased what was placed upon Everton counterpart Sean Dyche and courtesy of their recent 4-0 home win, the blue half of Merseyside sit five points clear of the relegation zone. Victory that also meant the first league success in five attempts and with Ashley Young breaking the deadlock early on Wednesday night, the former Aston Villa player was the first Everton player to score in five matches. A taste of the good times coming back to Goodison Park, a taste that has been missing for quite a while and a taste that will be even more delicious if it can be repeated against Liverpool this Saturday lunchtime. Then again, Everton may be five points clear of the drop, but they are also 21 points behind their neighbours and the team that currently tops the Premier League – a team that has not lost any of their last 10 league outings. No defeat in 10 but no win on Wednesday at St James’s Park and although it looked like a Mo Salah-inspired performance was once again going to get the Reds over the line, did teammate Caoimhin Kelleher go wondering off of his. The Irish international caught in no-mans land late on in the dying seconds, Liverpool caught out as Newcastle earned a late equaliser in what was one of the most entertaining games of the season so far and entertainment that came with six total goals. A draw on Tyneside and wins for both Arsenal and Chelsea means that the gap at the top for Arne Slot’s men has narrowed from nine points to seven, not to forget that Manchester City are now back down to single fingers at nine. Of course, the reduced margin only gives the chasing pack a glimmer of hope rather than turn any title race on its head and if this is not to be a one-horse race, than Liverpool’s nearest stablemate will have to do a bunch of championship hopefuls a huge favour on Saturday. But now it is time for the first of my two tips and although Everton have lost just one of their last six home derbies, four of them have been draws. It would be easy to back another draw but instead, I will opt for a draw at the break and then an away win at the final whistle at odds of 17/5 with SpreadEx. In addition to this, I think Everton will manage to get on the scoresheet, but it will be for nothing come the end of derby day. However, there is a lot more than nothing attached to the 2-1 away win and this is priced at a rather tempting 17/2 with bet365. Discover more football betting options from the best betting sites on our dedicated page! Check out this week's top football free bets offers below.