Everton v Liverpool Bet Builders: 25/1 shots special & 20/1 upset headline five Merseyside derby tips | OneFootball

English Premier League

Virgil van Dijk features in two of our five Bet Builder tips for the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park

Paul Higham has picked out five top Merseyside derby Bet Builders, ranging from 14/1 to 25/1, for the final Everton v Liverpool clash at Goodison Park.

Everton v LiverpoolWednesday 12 February, 19:30 kick-offLive on TNT Sport

The re-arranged Merseyside derby could hardly be any bigger with Liverpool chasing the title but Everton looking to put a huge dent in their big rivals' hopes in the last ever clash with the Reds at Goodison Park.

And for such a big game let's pick out some Bet Builder options for what should be a high-octane battle between these two famous old sides.

Reds roll on Bet Builder

If you're looking on the plus side from Liverpool's FA Cup shock exit at Plymouth, it's that Arne Slot rested almost his entire first team bar one of Luis Diaz or Darwin Nunez who will start up front.

The Reds are unbeaten in 19 league games and haven't lost away from home as yet - they've scored 32 away goals (seven more than the next best) and have bagged at least twice in seven of their last eight league games on the road.

And if they win here then Mohamed Salah will likely get a goal - ideally for us the breakthourgh as a 7/2 first scorer at Goodison. With 21 goals Salah has just two less than Everton's entire squad have managed in the league so far.

Salah's got 13 goals in Liverpool's 12 away games as well so playing on the road is no sweat for the Egyptian King.

If the Reds do get a result though they'll also need keeper Alisson at his best again as he has been of late - making three saves at Bournemouth and six at Brentford.

Everton upset the odds Bet Builder

The game being delayed could not have worked out better for Everton, as with David Moyes coming in they've won three straight league games to really ease all that relegation pressure.

The Toffees may be 13/2 outsiders but they can almost give this a free hit now and that could make a huge difference. Getting to play Spurs and Leicester in their last two games also helped as those pair of hopeless defences enabled Everton to not only get six points but score seven goals.

Liverpool have also won just two of their last 12 trips across Stanley Park and this is Arne Slot's first taste of a Merseyside derby, which under the lights will be a much bigger occasion than that original date.

They won't win a shootout against the Reds but Moyes will try and follow the Nottingham Forest method of tight defending and hitting on the break, set pieces etc - while also relying on Jordan Pickford to be the last line of defence. He'll have to make at least four saves as he did against the likes of Bournemouth, Forest and Arsenal recently.

The scrappy draw Bet Builder

There's been nine draws in the last 12 meetings at Goodison Park so 15/4 seems a touch generous given how the game will likely pan out.

The half-time draw at 7/5 is a stand out bet as a single - Moyes will no doubt take a safety first approach and Liverpool have been more of a second half side this season. Even Slot in his first derby knows the plan should be to take the sting out of the game first and foremost.

And then there's the tackling. This game has seen a record 23 red cards during the Premier League era, and although we won't go that far, three bookings each seems entirely reasonable given the circumstances.

Shoot for profit Bet Builder

Let's take a look at some value plays in the shots markets, starting with Everton's Iliman Ndiaye who has hit the target in four of his last six and is 13/10, while loan signing Carlos Alcaraz is 11/10 after an eye-catching debut against Bournemouth.

And even if Moyes resists the temptation to start Alcaraz, he'll surely get plenty of game time.

Liverpoo's best options here come in midfield - Dominik Szoboszlai looks a good bet at 10/11 as he's been getting forward much more recently and has five shots on target in his last three outings.

But our x-factor here is Virgil van Dijk at 20/10 following a goal against Spurs that had been coming. The Liverpool skipper has hit the target in two of his last three and in four of nine - with nine goal attempts during that spell he's getting much more invovlved at set pieces.

Focus on fouls & cards Bet Builder

Virgil van Dijk to see a card at 4/1 is the base of this bet. The Dutchman has bad memories of Goodison Park and will likely not be sad at all to see it go, given that's where he suffered his horrendous knee injury. He's also been booked on his last three visits.

Liverpool are an odd team with fouls as they dominate possession but still give away plenty of fouls - and they've been furstrated here the last couple of seasons with the home players, with the help of the home crowd, helping 'win' fouls for Everton.

So the two foul leaders for the Reds, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, are the best options for 2+ fouls as they'll be in the heart of the action in midfield.

And just as a finisher we'll add a foul for Beto, who will get the nod up front and is an emotional character so will be fired up for this one. Beto averages a foul about every 33 minutes in the league this season.