Premier League Betting Tips: Player Specials for Wednesday’s Merseyside Derby!
Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.
Hostile local rivalries will be renewed and old grudges revisited this week when Liverpool meet Everton in the Merseyside Derby at Anfield on Wednesday
The mid-week contest will be the 234th tussle between the near neighbours, and Everton will be desperate to reverse the one-sided recent trend that has seen them go 17 derby matches without a single victory.
However, with Liverpool’s pursuit of the Premier League title continuing at pace, Jurgen Klopp’s relentless charges come into the latest iteration of the Merseyside Derby as overwhelming favourites to extend the game’s one-sided record even further.
Alongside claiming 3 points of their own, Everton would love nothing more than putting a dent in their old enemy’s championship ambitions, while a positive result at Anfield could allow Marco Silva to avoid the axe currently hovering above him with intent.
Ahead of what promises to be a compelling evening’s action, we’re compiled a list of player special betting tips for Wednesday’s Merseyside Derby. Check them out below.
Read our comprehensive Liverpool vs Everton predictions and betting tips in our preview of the game.
Sadio Mane over 2.5 shots
Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino might be underperforming of late by their own high standards, however, the third member of Liverpool’s attacking triple-act, Sadio Mane continues to excel.
With eight goals in 13 starts, the Senegalese international is the Reds’ leading marksman in the Premier League this season and Mane will again be the sharpest weapon in Liverpool’s armoury for Wednesday’s Merseyside Derby.
Mane has averaged a healthy 2.4 shots per Premier League appearance since the summer, and the 27-year old already struck his way past 3.0 attempts in six separate league matches for Liverpool since August.
With Mane taking aim against a low on confidence Everton outfit this week, we expected him to fire his way past our targeted attempts figure with relative comfort at Anfield.
Sadio Mane also features in our mid-week anytime goalscorer betting tips. Make sure to check out the rest of our selections complete with a 47/1 five-fold acca!
Yerry Mina over 1.5 tackles
Everton centre-half Yerry Mina will be one of the Toffees’ players tasked with stemming the flow of Liverpool attacks and limiting Sadio Mane’s influence on proceedings this week.
The Colombian international started 13 of Everton’s 14 Premier League games at the heart of the team’s defence and the towering 25-year old made 1.5 tackles on average per 90 minutes of top-flight action.
Mina made two or more tackles in nine of those 13 Premier League starts for the Toffees, and with his defensive workload expected to be high at Anfield this week, we’re tipping him to make at least two challenges again.
Trent Alexander-Arnold over 0.5 assists
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pinpoint set piece delivery and laser accurate crossing ability from wide positions has consistently been one of Liverpool’s most prolific supply lines over the past year.
Having broken assists records last season, Alexander-Arnold has picked up where he left off this term, and the 21-year old has already created five Premier League goals for his teammates his season, with the most recent two of those arriving in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Brighton at the weekend.
We’re tipping Alexander-Arnold’s wand of a right foot to conjure up some magic against a Toffees team this week that are susceptible to conceding from set pieces.
Despite facing the fifth fewest number of corners (58), and having faced the joint-second fewest number of attempts from corners (14), no side has conceded more goals from such situations than Everton (4) in the Premier League this season.
Andrew Robertson over 71.5 passes
On the opposite flank, Andrew Robertson is every bit as influential as Trent Alexander-Arnold for Liverpool, and the Scottish international is often the starting point for many of the Reds’ attacking moves.
Robertson ranks joint second at the club for average passes played per Premier League game this season (70.1), and that average climbs to a slightly higher 71.9 passes per appearance when you isolate the 25-year old’s appearances at Anfield.
Liverpool are almost certain to enjoy the lion’s share of possession against Everton on Wednesday in a game that most expect them to dominate, and that should in turn ensure that Robertson sees more than enough of the ball to beat our target.
Morgan Schneiderlin to get booked
Much-maligned French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is expected to anchor the Everton midfield at Anfield on Wednesday, and the 30-year old could be in for a tough night in front of The Kop.
Schneiderlin’s habit for wilting when the pressure is on saw him flop during his short stint with Manchester United, and the midfielder has yet to show that he has the mettle to succeed in Everton blue either.
The 15-times capped French international has started just eight times in the Premier League for the Toffees since the summer, and the holding midfielder picked up three bookings in that relatively short run of games.
Liverpool’s notoriously combative midfielders will be trying their best to trample all over Schneiderlin on Wednesday, and the former Southampton star could land himself in trouble with the referee again in his attempts to bite back.
Don’t forget – you can also find all of our match previews and betting tips for the mid-week action on our Premier League predictions page.
