Liverpool have endured a torrid week off the pitch in the courts but the saga seemingly had a happy ending on Friday and the Reds can celebrate with at least a point this weekend.
The story of the sale of the club has been exhausted to death elsewhere, there’s no need to do it again here, and regardless it is largely irrelevant with what takes place at Goodison Park on Sunday.
Liverpool, and in particular manager Roy Hodgson, will be entirely focused on the task in hand and they’ll be desperate for a good result in front of the new owner.
Whether the drawn-out purchase of the club actually affected those doing battle every week in a red shirt will never be known but, on the bare facts alone, Everton are too short to rub their rival’s nose in it on Sunday lunchtime with three points and I certainly couldn’t be backing the hosts at a little over 2.50.
Everton themselves, we must not forget, have also experienced a relatively torturous start to their own campaign and they were beaten both home and away by the Anfield club last term.
I tipped Everton for great things this season, a top four finish wasn’t beyond them in August, it is now, but just one win so far is worrying for fans of the Toffees and it is becoming all too common for David Moyes’ men to start slowly.
That victory came over Birmingham immediately before the international break, Tim Cahill on target in a 2-0 win at St Andrews, but their results prior to that success were mixed, at best, and it is only goal difference that is keeping the blue half of Merseyside out of the relegation zone at present.
Unthinkably, the side immediately below Everton in the Premier League table is Liverpool but, while defeat at home to Blackpool was inexcusable, Hodgson has seen his troops face Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal already this term and their position is probably misleading.
Never before has such intrigue surrounded a Merseyside derby but with so much attention on Liverpool I expect them to deliver the goods.
Fernando Torres has been passed fit and although Hodgson must do without the injured Dirk Kuyt and Daniel Agger, the Englishman still has enough talent at his disposal to bag at least a point.
1pt Lay Everton (vs. Liverpool) @ 2.60 (Betfair)