Blues must stop clock

TAKE the rough with the smooth at Anfield this afternoon.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been publicly trying to call time on the dirty derbies of the “good old days”.

If that chimes with Everton boss Frank Lampard we can bank on little Thiago (above), the jewel in Klopp’s midfield, running today’s Mersey derby like clockwork (4.30pm). And that would surely mean Everton going home with nothing.

The Toffees appear well motivated, boast a top-six wage-bill squad and beat Manchester United the other week.

Yet here they are, a whopping 18/1 to repeat last season’s away win over the Reds – and you still wouldn’t much fancy that in a clean fight. But totting-up suspensions are no longer to be feared, so Everton could take the obvious option and play rough.

With Stuart Atwell on the whistle, I like OVER 2.5 Everton cards at Evens (Bet365).

The smooth coin-flip is ‘Liverpool win to nil’ at 19/20 (BetVic) – they are in their pomp, and 19 of their 32 PL games have gone that way.

Ibrahima Konate ‘first scorer’ at 33/1 (Hills) is a ripe worldie, if starting.