Everton vs. Liverpool Betting Tips: Expect a tight, feisty affair on Merseyside

This weekend's Premier League action commences at Goodison Park for the first Merseyside derby of the campaign. We've asked our inn-form tipster JimmyThePunt to preview this one and he's picked out his three best bets for this huge domestic dust-up.

As I write, Liverpool are priced at 4/9 to win and that looks very short to me. 

It is a cliche but in a local derby, certain aspects - such as form and quality of squad - has less of a bearing on the result. I think more intangible things can have more of an impact, like say the siege mentality the underdog could adopt. So, there could be some juice in the host's price. 

Frank Lampard's squad will be bolstered by the acquisitions of James Garner, Neal Maupay and Idrissa Gueye but only the latter two may start here. 

The visitors could have as many as eight absentees, the majority of which are in midfield with Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Thiago all missing out here. This will likely see Fabio Carvalho and James Milner flanking Fabinho. 

Under Lampard, Everton have lost half of their 24 games, surprisingly though only 25% of these have been by a two goal margin or more.  

The Blues have also fared pretty well against the division's traditional ‘big six’ at home last season, winning half of their games, drawing one and narrowly losing to Manchester City. 

Taking the hosts with a +1.5 head start on the Asian handicap appeals here, especially considering eight of the last ten Merseyside derbies at Goodison Park have ended all square. 

It is going to sound outrageous but the 9-0 thumping of Bournemouth does little to convince me that Liverpool have ironed out early concerns, and this was vindicated by the narrow victory over Newcastle. 

Five games into the new campaign and that was only the Reds second win, and perhaps more concerning is the fact that they have only kept one clean sheet against the newly promoted Cherries. 

Jurgen Klopp’s midfield still looks bereft, the defence is leaking chances and the XI looks uncharacteristically leggy. 

All things considered, I think the Asian line is the way to go here as even if Liverpool win by a goal the bet pays out. 

At 5/1 with Bet365, local lad Anthony Gordon’s price for a card looks a touch large, especially considering he is as short as 9/5 elsewhere. 

Gordon has been booked in each of his last three games, maybe it is just a coincidence but the glut coincides with when Everton rejected several offers for him from Chelsea. 

It is also worth noting that all of those cards have come while moving back out to the wing. Gordon posts impressive defensive output, topping his sides charts for fouls (2) and averages 2.4 tackles per game. 

I think the battle between Gordon and Trent Alexander-Arnold could get a bit feisty. Both players were booked when these sides last met and the 28/1 available for it to happen again certainly looks worth a punt. 

Offensively, Gordon is Everton’s biggest threat. He’s scored the most goals (2), averaged the most shots (2.4) and drawn the most fouls (1.4) so far this season. 

Defensively, TAA leaves a lot to be desired. The full back has been at fault for a few goals this season and was run ragged by Anthony Elanga at Old Trafford. 

The main allure of these two players is that they are both local and petulant. If it does get a bit heated, you would imagine these two are involved in some capacity. 

Best of luck if you are backing any of these selections and please remember to gamble responsibly.