WATCH: Merseyside Derby discussion

bet365 News Team Updated: 13 Feb 23 11:58 Published: 08 Feb 23 13:00

The Merseyside Derby is one of the most fiercely contested games in English football, and Steve Freeth and Sam Matterface have given their thoughts on the two sides and their seasons so far.

Monday night sees Liverpool welcome local rivals Everton to Anfield, where both sides will be even more desperate for a win than usual.

The home side are enduring a torrid time in the Premier League and they currently sit in 10th, picking up just a single point from their last five league games. Back-to-back league defeats against Brighton & Wolves have left the Reds 12 points shy of a Champions League spot.

Jurgen Klopp's men have struggled to find any kind of consistency; Mohamed Salah can't seem to find the target for love nor money, Cody Gakpo has failed to hit the ground running and their whole defence has looked disorganised.

The further the season progresses, the more that finishing in the bottom half seems a realistic possibility for the Reds - they are currently priced up at 25/1 to do so.

More Football News

WATCH: European Football discussion show

WATCH: Graham Hunter and Steve Freeth on the Premier League

Latest Liverpool news

Premier League relegation battle: Will 40 points be the magic number?

Premier League: Sean Dyche to the rescue at Everton

Everton have also had a tough time of it this season and sit in the bottom three after a run of form that led to the sacking of manager Frank Lampard.

They have, however, started well under new manager Sean Dyche, with the former Burnley man guiding the Toffees to victory last week over league leaders Arsenal.

Despite that win though, Everton are still in desperate need of points and will be hoping that last week's win wasn't just the result of a "new manager bounce" and that Dyche's arrival will bring a more sustained period of success.

A trip to their neighbours across Stanley park won't necessarily be the test that Everton want or need right now, but Dyche's men will be buoyed by last week's win and have an opportunity to boost their chances of staying up, something they are fancied to do at 8/13.

In the video above, Steve Freeth and Sam Matterface discuss the two sides involved in Monday night's fixture and give their best bets on how their seasons could pan out.