Ladbrokes fully expecting another feisty Merseyside derby
Published:The Merseyside derby represents one of English football’s fiercest rivalries and since the Premier League was formed this feistiness has manifested itself in a whole host of red cards, with six more brandished than in any other top-flight fixture.
Unsurprisingly, therefore, Ladbrokes have whittled down the odds on a red card between Everton and Liverpool from around a typical price of 4/1-5/1 for most other Premier League fixtures, right down to 2/1 when the two sides clash at Goodison Park.
It appears the bookmakers don’t want to take any chances on either a Reds or a Toffees player being sent for an early shower by referee Phil Dowd, in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.
Meanwhile, it’s 20/1 both sides get a player dismissed, with 10/1 the price that bad blood spills over into the dugout resulting in the managers failing to shake hands post-match.
The same 10/1 price is offered should either Brendan Rodgers or Roberto Martinez get sent to the stands themselves.
Alex Donohue of Ladbrokes said: “No fixture will have shorter red-card odds all season. We’re fully anticipating a derby full of thrills and spills and should either of the main strikers open the scoring it will cost us.”
This refers to Liverpool’s Luis Suarez bagging the first goal of the game at smashing odds of 11/2, while Everton’s main man Romelu Lukaku is a 13/2 shot to take that honour.
it is worth noting Suarez has scored on three of his last four starts against Everton, while Lukaku bagged in either game against Liverpool when wearing a West Brom shirt last season.
An injury time goal can be backed at 5/1, while a longer term look at the season as a match bet between the clubs sees Everton as massive 6/1 outsiders, with Liverpool at 1/12.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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