In Mr Fixit's absence, KevMac previews the weekend action in Premier League with the Merseyside Derby the highlight of the fixtures.
Everton v Liverpool – Sunday 7.00pm
EVERTON fans have avoided the ultimate indignity of watching Liverpool win the title at Goodison Park.
But tomorrow’s derby could still be painful viewing for the Toffees if their woeful recent run against the Reds continues.
Everton haven’t tasted a victory in their last 21 games against the Anfield side, a remarkable run of failure for any derby fixture.
Even when Jurgen Klopp fielded a shadow side for January’s FA Cup clash at Anfield the Toffees still couldn’t beat them, with a screamer from youngster Curtis Jones sealing a 1-0 Reds win.
Liverpool were hoping to wrap up their first title for 30 years at the home of their city rivals but Manchester City’s win against Arsenal on Wednesday night has put the champagne on ice.
However, it’s hard to see Klopp’s side not getting the derby triumph that would leave them just one more win from glory.
Liverpool are 8/13 with Unibet for Goodison success while Everton are as big as 19/4 with BetVictor and the draw is 10/3 at Betfred.
Six of the last seven derbies at Goodison have ended in stalemates but that was when Everton had the advantage of a partisan home crowd. With this match behind closed doors it should come down to who has the strongest squad and that’s the Reds.
Klopp’s defence was looking a bit leaky before the lockdown, conceding in their last five games, so try a Liverpool win with both teams to score at 11/5 (Betfred).
Goals have been thin on the ground in Goodison derbies of late, with just three across the last five meetings at Everton’s home. But in these unique circumstances I’m going to back over 2.5 strikes here at 7/10 with William Hill.
I’m expecting a few tasty tackles even without the usual frenzied derby atmosphere. William Hill price over one card for both teams at 11/10 and that looks good value.
While the Merseyside derby is the highlight of the Premier League weekend they are plenty of other intriguing fixtures.
Watford v Leicester City – Saturday 12.30pm
Former Reds boss Brendan Rodgers takes Leicester to Vicarage Road to face a Watford side scrapping for survival.
It’s a tough one to call so it may pay to go for the goalscorer markets instead, with Foxes star Jamie Vardy a tempting 6/5 with 888Sport for anytime scorer.
Another bet that catches the eye is the 7/1 William Hill offer on Leicester’s James Justin to pick up a card. The youngster is deputising for right-back Ricardo Pereira and could be targeted by the Hornets.
- Watford v Leicester City Match Preview & Tips
Brighton v Arsenal – Saturday 3.00pm
Like Watford, struggling Brighton are desperate for points when they host Arsenal. The Gunners picked up two injuries and had David Luiz sent off in midweek so Brighton look overpriced at 2/1 with Ladbrokes.
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace – Saturday 7.45pm
The bookies could also pay for making Crystal Palace the same price away to Bournemouth.
The Eagles won three on the spin before lockdown while Eddie Howe’s men took just one point from their last four matches.
Aston Villa v Chelsea – Sunday 4.15pm
Chelsea should be too strong for an Aston Villa side that lacked punch up front in their midweek stalemate with Sheffield United.
The Blues are 13/8 with Genting for a win to nil and I fancy Christian Pulisic for a goal at 21/10 with Paddy Power.
West Ham v Wolves – Saturday 5.30pm
David Moyes has improved West Ham but Wolves should still have too much class for them and are 6/5 (Boylesports) for a London win.
I'm a sports journalist, football tipster and author from Dundee, who is now working in Glasgow. I've covered games at every level, from Junior football to internationals, and still love football even though it has clearly sold its soul. I've been in football tipping since 2018 with the MFT site.
