It's no April Fools that Liverpool finds itself in the Top 4 with nine fixtures left to play. What is a bit foolish is that the Reds are still not exactly favored to finish with a spot in the Champions League next year with Manchester United and Arsenal four and six points back respectively with each team having two games in hand. This Everton team still has a fighting shot for European play next year, and it shouldn't be considered a certain laydown at Anfield to kick off April's fixtures in the BPL.
This BPL duel will go down Saturday, April 1, 2017, at 7:30 a.m. ET at Anfield. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Liverpool -155
Everton +450
Draw +290
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
There's a reason why the Reds are only -155 on the moneyline at home in this match. Sure, Anfield has been a tricky place to navigate all season long, and Everton only has four away wins on the season, but this Liverpool team is no slam dunk to get the job done. The total of 2.5 with a relatively high vig on -130 on the over is a telling sign that there could be goals for both sides in this one. And why not? Liverpool has 36 goals in 14 home fixtures this year, and the only team with that many strikes on the season in its building is Chelsea, who also has 36.
Key Injuries
Some bad luck for the Toffees. Seamus Coleman watched his season come to an end while playing for Ireland in World Cup qualifying last weekend. He broke his leg in the match against Wales and won't be seen again this season, adding to a list which already includes Muhamed Besic and Yannick Bolasie of the long-term injuries. The news on James McCarthy is better, knowing that he's back in training. Whether he can return from his hamstring injury in this one is unknown at this point. Morgan Schneiderlin picked up a calf injury against Hull City a fortnight ago, but he'll at least be up for consideration for the Starting XI in this match.
Liverpool is in decent shape at this point. Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson are both back in training after missing matches of late for the Reds, and though Danny Ings, Marko Grujic and Ovie Ejaria are all out of the fold, this is about as healthy as Jurgen Klopp's team has been all season long.
Recent Form
Everton has been in a goal-scoring mood of late, but we can't help but wonder if the international break will cool it down just a bit. The Toffees have scored at least two goals in four straight fixtures, taking nine of a possible 12 points along the way. But let's remember that the team's one loss in there was to Tottenham, and there's a big difference between beating Sunderland, West Brom and Hull at home and a team like Liverpool on the road.
Liverpool finished off its last stretch of matches with a 1-1 draw at Manchester City. All in all, the team is doing fairly well. It ran into Leicester City at the wrong time on February 27 at King Power Stadium, but since that point, the Reds have taken three points from Arsenal and Burnley and picked up that great draw at the Etihad.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Everton is live in this match, but we're struggling to see where it's getting any sort of defense from. At home against the top clubs this year? Fantastic. Away? 5-0 at Chelsea, 1-1 at Manchester City and 3-2 at Tottenham. That's nine goals allowed in three matches against the top clubs. The Toffees know they need to get something from these next two at Liverpool and at Manchester United if they want to serious contend for a spot in Europe next year, but this is where those dreams get shattered.
BPL Odds: Liverpool 3, Everton 1
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