Match Betting (1x2)
Liverpool met Everton a few weeks ago in the Premier League and it wasn’t a pretty sight for the Toffees who were drubbed 5-2 at Anfield. This was despite Jurgen Klopp resting Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino for the encounter, with Sadio Mane destroying the Blues.
The Reds are once again strong favourites for the victory when the teams meet in this FA Cup encounter although much depends on whether Klopp decides to play a strong team or alternatively decide that the Premier League and Champions League are the only competitions worth winning.
After all, the German effectively threw the recent EFL Cup clash at Villa Park by fielding a very young team and it was hardly a surprise to see Liverpool drubbed, although we should expect a much stronger outfit for this match.
The fact that it’s a derby encounter means that the manager will have to field a competitive line-up and the same applies to Everton who make the short trip across Stanley Park hoping for a more positive outcome.
Carlo Ancelotti is now in charge at Goodison Park and aiming to make a strong short-term impact, with the visitors likely to be a bumper price of around 7/1 to claim the spoils in this one.
There’s little question that Everton will field a stronger line-up and perhaps we will see a close game where Liverpool edge things with their substitutions should the game prove to be a tight one.
Asian Handicap
There could be a strong case for getting with the visitors on the Asian Handicap market should we discover that Liverpool care little about the FA Cup this season.
While Ancelotti will be looking for a confidence booster from this type of game, Klopp might be prepared to throw the dice and you can therefore get with the Toffees at a big price with a goal or two headstart.
Everton +1.5 could be worth a bet considering that this could be a good deal closer than the Premier League encounter and the only thing that really matters is getting through the tie.
Alternatively, if we see the Reds out in force, perhaps you could consider Liverpool -1.5 or even Liverpool -2 at a decent price.
After all, the Reds recently beat their Merseyside rivals by a three-goal margin and a similar outcome could be on the cards.
Both Teams to Score
Everton managed to score twice at Anfield in the Premier League encounter and let’s expect more of the same in this one, with BTTS Yes trading at a favourable 4/5 compared to the 11/10 that BTTS No cops instead.
With FA Cup encounters, teams’ tactics tend to be more attack-minded than they would be for a typical game and we should bet accordingly.