Liverpool and Everton meet in the FA Cup third-round on Friday night. The Merseyside derbies are always special affairs but there is some extra spice when the two meet in a Cup competition.
And we’re hoping to add to the flavour by betting Everton to win with a suspicion that the Red side of the city are starting to believe their own hype.
Liverpool are on a terrific run of form. They haven’t lost since October (a 4-1 reverse against Tottenham Hotspur) – that’s 16 matches ago. And they have won seven of their last 10. Wins are all that count, of course, but Liverpool are pummelling teams. Three goals against Stoke, five against Brighton, seven against Spartak Moscow, four against Bournemouth, three against Arsenal and five against Swansea.
Indeed, we were on the ‘overs’ on the goals market for that Swans dismantling, so we have huge respect for the way Liverpool’s free running and gung-ho attitude works. But, they are taking a mighty risk for this one by leaving out Phil Coutinho and Mo Salah, two of their most dangerous forward players.
Sure, Jurgen Klopp says they’re injured. But are they really? Countinho is once again being courted by Barcelona, and the whispers are that the deal is done after a slip-up on a Nike promotion. Salah also has a niggle, but he was in Ghana on Thursday for the African Player of the Year awards. Both missed the 2-1 win over Burnley last time out.
Could Klopp be guilty of not showing the competition the respect it deserves? It is possible. He did it last season. They squeezed past Plymouth Argyle, in the basement at the time, with a reserve team. But they did not get so lucky against Wolves in the next round when they were beaten at home. Klopp rested key players.
What we’re suggesting is that if Salah and Coutinho had to play, they would. And that means Everton, who will treat this as the biggest game of their season, can bridge the gap. They are not the risky wager that odds of +800 at BMR’s green-listed bookmakers make out.
Under Sam Allardyce, of whom we are a huge fan and have had a major gamble on the Toffees breaking into the top six, they have been transformed. They have only lost two of their last nine, not bad for a team which suffered ten defeats between August and November.
Included in the turnaround was creditable 1-1 draw at Anfield. So there is no fear factor for Everton here. Everton will be the most organised and disciplined side they have faced since, well, Everton.
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