Liverpool v Everton: Goals could be in short supply at Anfield

Liverpool v Everton
Friday, 19:55 GMT
Live on BBC One

Klopp will have to shuffle pack

Jurgen Klopp has done more rotating than any other top-flight manager this season and he's made a fine job of it.

The upside of making numerous changes is extra freshness and that's helped the Reds take nine points out of nine over Christmas and they're currently on a 16-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

There will be more changes on Friday night. The exciting one could be the debut of new £75m signing Virgil van Dijk in defence although a place on the bench is perhaps more likely.

The concern for Reds backers is the absence of both Mo Salah and Philippe Coutinho, both through injury. Salah is jetting back from Ghana alongside Sadio Mane after they've attended the Confederation of African Football Player of the Year awards on Thursday night. It's a seven-hour flight so Mane's inclusion in the starting line-up is also in doubt.

Allardyce will look for repeat

Sam Allardyce did a job on Liverpool in their Premier League encounter last month. Taking anti-football to new levels, Everton were non-existent as an attacking threat and just kept booting balls out of play.

But, to their credit, they kept Liverpool's scoring opportunities to a minimum and then got the break they were looking for when Wayne Rooney fired home from the spot after Dejan Lovren's ill-advised push on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

That game helped Allardyce take the Toffees on an eight-match unbeaten run but after 0-0 draws against Chelsea and West Brom, they've lost their last two - 2-1 at Bournemouth and a pretty limp 2-0 home defeat to Man Utd.

The bounce effect looks to have worn off and it's glaringly obvious that Allardyce will have to spend in the transfer window.

Reds hot favourites

Liverpool were just 1.32 to win the Premier League meeting last month but they're a bit bigger here at 1.44.

It's 4.80 that the visitors bag another draw while Everton are 9.40 to gain their first Merseyside derby win in 16 tries.

Unders appeals

Overs will be the automatic thought for punters in just about every Liverpool game and it's 1.80 here.

However, that means there looks to be some real juice in Under 2.5 goals at 2.12.

Unders would have collected in the recent 1-1 of course and let's not forget that Liverpool wheeled out the full might of the 'Fab Four' three days later and were held to a 0-0 draw by second-bottom West Brom.

True, Overs has landed in their last two home games - 5-0 v Swansea and 2-1 v Leicester - but there's still evidence that well-organised defences cause Liverpool problems at Anfield. With Salah and Coutinho likely absentees and Mane in an aeroplane on the morning of the match, there's no doubt that Liverpool's usual firepower will be blunted.

Under Allardyce, Unders has panned out in six of nine matches and Everton's chronic lack of firepower is becoming increasingly evident.

A reminder too, which goes against the narrative of them having a poor defence, that Liverpool have conceded fewer home goals than any other team in the Premier League this season - just four in 11 matches.

Value in a blank

As well as going Unders, I'll also have a small bet on a 0-0 scoreline at a hefty 15.50.

West Brom and Man Utd secured 0-0 draws at Anfield and, but for a Salah 'worldie' and a daft penalty, Everton would have got one too.

It's not what the BBC Friday night audience want but they may have to settle for it. Everton have played out two 0-0 draws in their last four games and Liverpool can certainly chug away without reward against blanket defences.

Firmino fave to fire home

As a backer of Under 2.5 goals, I'm not rushing to play this market although Roberto Firmino is the obvious one. He was rested against Burnley (coming on after 72 minutes) but prior to that had scored nine times in 10 matches.

However, six of those came on the road, highlighting the fact that he, like his team-mates, enjoys the extra freedom and space in away games. He's 2.40 to bag another and it's a decent price to be honest given his numbers.

The 3.10 for Sadio Mane, who scored a beauty against Burnley, is decent too if he were to start. A dream start for Liverpool's new No.4? Virgil Van Dijk is 8.60 to find the net.

He hasn't scored for Southampton this season but ended the previous campaign with three in his final 10 games and managed double figures with Celtic in the 2014/2015 campaign.

Wayne Rooney, who looked off the pace against Man Utd it has to be said, is 4.30 for another Anfield goal.

Ref watch

West Yorkshire official Bobby Madley gets his second Merseyside derby. His first was Liverpool's 4-0 win two seasons ago when he sent off Everton's Ramiro Funes Mori for a terrible tackle on Divock Origi.

So far this season, he's shown four reds and 65 yellows in 17 matches, sending off Everton's Morgan Schniederlin in their now hard-to-believe 1-1 draw at Man City.

Opta Stat

This will be the 24th meeting between these two Merseyside rivals in the FA Cup, Liverpool winning 10 and drawing six (L7) - however, they haven't met in the third round since 1931/32.