Kick-off: Saturday, 20 September 2025, 12:30 UK | Venue: Anfield.
The first Merseyside derby of the 2025/26 season opens Matchweek 5, with league-leading Liverpool hosting sixth-placed Everton.
Highbet predictions for this match! 👇
Match Result: Liverpool – odds: 1.44
Total Goals: Over 2.5 – odds: 1.61
Both Teams To Score: Yes – odds: 1.79
Check our preview! 👇
Liverpool FC
Arne Slot’s side have started perfectly – four wins from four in the league, each settled late, a quirky trend underlining both fitness and belief. They added to the momentum on Wednesday night, edging Atlético Madrid 3-2 thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s 92nd-minute header. The performance also featured a lively debut for record signing Alexander Isak, who logged an encouraging 60 minutes and could feature again here. Liverpool looks stacked across the front line, and set-piece threat remains a major weapon.
Tactically, Slot’s 4-3-3 has leaned on intense pressure and late surges. With confidence sky-high and Anfield behind them at lunchtime, expect Liverpool to push full-backs high and test Everton’s wide defenders while hunting set plays around the box.
Everton FC
David Moyes has given Everton immediate structure and bite. They arrive sixth after a solid opening month that included clean sheets and improved chance creation. Availability has been a subplot at full-back and centre-back, but the Toffees have still looked harder to break down. Recruitment headlines include added creativity in advanced areas, giving Dominic Calvert-Lewin better service than last term. If they can compress space between the lines and attack early in transition, Everton have enough pace and set-piece height to trouble the hosts.
Injury news has been watch-list territory this week (notably Vitalii Mykolenko and Jarrad Branthwaite monitoring), so Moyes’ final XI may hinge on late fitness checks. A compact 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 formation, with aggressive wide midfield tracking, feels likely at Anfield.
H2H Brief History
Liverpool won the most recent derby at Anfield 1-0 on 2 April 2025, while Everton’s last win at Anfield was the 2-0 victory of February 2021. Overall, Liverpool holds the historical edge in the fixture, and Anfield has tended to tilt the balance further in recent years.
This edition is the first Merseyside derby of the campaign and, as ever, discipline matters: cards and set pieces have swung several recent meetings. The 12:30 kick-off can sometimes start cagey, but intensity rarely takes long to ignite in this fixture.
Verdict
Form points to Liverpool. They’re top, habitually decisive late on, and fresh off another adrenaline-spiking win under the lights. Everton, though, are more robust than last season and carry a genuine set-piece and counter punch – enough to keep this competitive into the final half hour.
Leaning: Liverpool to edge a tight derby (one-goal margin). Secondary angles to consider include Liverpool to win & under 3.5 goals or Liverpool to score from a set piece, given their aerial profile and recent late-goal trend. Live angles also appeal, given Liverpool’s knack for late winners this season.
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