During his time at Everton, Kevin Campbell finished as the club's top goalscorer on four occasions but he is fondly remembered for being the man who gave the Toffees their last victory against Liverpool at Anfield. The date was September 27, 1999 and although Liverpool boasted Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen in their attack, it was Campbell's fourth-minute effort which proved decisive as the blue half of Merseyside were left to celebrate a famous triumph. Unbeknown to them, it would remain as the last success against their great rivals on opposition territory, but this weekend's clash represents a big opportunity for them to not only end the winless streak but to catapult themselves into the race for a top-four place.
Punters will require a betting guide to provide them with the best ways to get the most out of their money this weekend - derby fixtures traditionally feature more yellow cards and, especially in the Merseyside version, red cards and that may prove to be a "banker" bet - but we are all for Everton building on their recent form. Seamus Coleman's broken leg represents a huge blow for the club given the Irishman's contributions at the back and in the final third this season, but the injury has the potential to bring the squad closer together and Everton have already shown this season that they are more than a one-man team.
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You only have to look to Romelu Lukaku to see that Ronald Koeman has the Premier League's most in-form striker at his disposal. The Belgian hitman leads the charts with 21 goals - as well as six assists - but he has scored nine times in his last half-a-dozen outings and while he has not necessarily been prolific on the road this season, he has found the back of the net when taking to the pitch away at both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Koeman will have to find a way to balance the 23-year-old's work-rate because Liverpool can spend a lot of time passing the ball in the middle third of the pitch, taking energy away from the opposition's leading marksman, but when Everton are able to attack, Lukaku's presence will strike fear into a Liverpool backline who have only kept one clean sheet in the top flight since the turn of the year.
Jurgen Klopp's side deserve praise for the way in which they have recovered from succumbing to a 3-2 defeat at home to Swansea City in January. It was a rocky period for the club and they could have capitulated against the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal who were to make the trip to Anfield over a six-week spell, but Liverpool came out of those fixtures with seven points after making light work of both North London outfits. However, the most concerning performance came just three weeks ago when they were fortunate to get the better of a Burnley side who nullified the home side's attack for much of the game. Liverpool only emerged victorious thanks to a rare goal from Emre Can and Matthew Lowton squandering a close-range effort for the Clarets in added-on time, and Klopp will be aware that they cannot afford a similar display against an Everton side who are brimming with confidence.
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Since Liverpool claimed a last-gasp win at Goodison Park on December 19, Everton have registered 27 points from 12 matches, which is effectively title-winning form in the modern-day Premier League. Of course, it is one thing doing it in the short term and another in the long term, as Chelsea have proven this season, but Koeman has moulded his team into one which should not be thinking that finishing in the top four is too much for them. Only a five-game winless streak during November and the start of December has cost them and they are every bit the collective unit that their supporters would have hoped they would become when Koeman arrived at the club last summer.
The scars will inevitably be there after 17 visits to Anfield without returning with a win, and the majority of betting odds that you encounter throughout the coming days will favour the home side. However, that also means that there will be betting markets that you can take advantage of if you back a positive result for Everton and we do not think that you can go wrong with betting on Lukaku to net in his fifth successive match for the Toffees. The visitors may also have to contend with the absence of Morgan Schneiderlin, but they now possess the strength in-depth to cope and we think it is going to be a famous day for the club, who can move to within three points of Liverpool in the Premier League table if they can pull off the upset.
