Sports Blog 20/04/2016: Premier League Preview – Liverpool vs Everton, Wednesday 20th April 2016

With 3 places, but 10 points, separating the 2 sides who will win the final Merseyside Derby of the season at 8pm on Sky Sports 1?

April ended up being a pretty good month for Liverpool. Kicking off with a hard fought 1-1 draw against Tottenham (no mean feat considering just how good Spurs look at the moment), the Reds followed that up with a rampant 4-1 win over Stoke (again nothing to be sneered at) and a comfortable 2-1 victory at Bournemouth (a 93rd minute goal from Joshua King arguably flattering the hosts).



Of course the real meat of the month has been found in their consistently surprising European campaign. Admittedly, both their Europa League group and their last 32 tie were eminently winnable draws that the Reds almost made a meal of. Yet the relative easiness of the first half of the tournament has been more than compensated for in the last 2 rounds. A tricky meeting with Manchester United with a convincing 3-1 win on aggregate for the Reds, only for Jurgen Klopp to be dealt a journey back to Germany in the quarter-finals. Drawing tournament favourites Borussia Dortmund was the nightmare scenario for Liverpool, yet they overcame the odds in a typically nail-biting fashion, a 91st minute goal from Dejan Lovren giving the club a 5-4 victory over the 2 legs.

Whilst Liverpool have been escaping the drudgery of their own domestic season through a volatile European affair, Everton have kept their Premier League malaise at bay with a more home-grown kind of success. With a top half finish all they can hope for in the league, Roberto Martinez faces the difficult decision of whether or not to prioritise Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United over Wednesday’s game against the Toffee’s fiercest rivals. Regardless Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku, the latter at a Super Mega PGM of 25-30 and very likely playing his final few games for Everton, should return after being rested for Saturday’s draw against Southampton.

For all the fire that greets English derbies Wednesday’s Merseyside match-up seems fairly cut and dry, especially with the Toffees having one eye on the weekend, Spreadex offering a Liverpool/Everton Goal Supremacy spread of 0.95-1.15, with a Total Goals spread of 2.85-3.05.

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