The Toffees are marginally ahead in the fight for supremacy in Liverpool, and Al Hain-Cole expects them to successfully navigate a difficult fixture list and maintain top billing

The Merseyside rivalry has become much more evenly contested in recent years, and this season there are more than mere bragging rights at stake.

Both Liverpool and Everton are heavily involved in the fight for a top five place, and know that finishing above their neighbours would give them a realistic chance of playing in Europe next season.     

The advantage is currently with David Moyes’ men, who sit three points clear of their local rivals in sixth place, with a game in hand.

Despite this potential six-point cushion, currently has both clubs tied neck and neck at 5/6 (1.83) apiece to finish as the top team on Merseyside, which is surely a tempting price for the Goodison faithful.

The Toffees bounced back from a recent wobble, including a demoralising FA Cup exit at the hands of Wigan, to claim a fantastic 2-0 win over champions Manchester City, and this result should give them confidence to finish the season strongly.

That win did not come without a price though, as Steven Pienaar’s red card and Marouane Fellaini’s booking earned each of them a two-match suspension, thus denying Everton of two key players for tricky games against Stoke and Tottenham.

Poor results in those two matches could see their lead over Liverpool evaporate, and they would not want to be playing catch-up considering a fixture list that looks rather more intimidating than that of their neighbours.

Aside from that trip to White Hart Lane, Moyes’ side must also travel to Arsenal and Chelsea before the season is up, not to mention a potentially decisive Merseyside derby at Anfield in May.

However, out of the current top five, only Manchester United and Chelsea have beaten Everton this season, and previous wins over both Manchester clubs and Tottenham underline their ability to rise to the big occasion.

Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers’ men may only have Chelsea of the traditional big guns to contend with, but their recent 3-1 defeat to Southampton demonstrated that there are no easy fixtures in the Premier League, and they are sure to slip up elsewhere.

While Liverpool’s form has improved recently, their inconsistency looks likely to hold them back from closing the gap on their rivals before the season is up, and those 5/6 (1.83) odds for Everton to come out on top in a fiercely fought Merseyside contest should be snapped up now.

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Al Hain-Cole is a Liverpool fan, experienced tipster and avid follower of European football. He specialises in accumulators and if you would like to read more from Al you can follow him on Twitter here.

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The Blackpool winger, who has been the subject of sustained interest from the Reds, expresses his ambition to play at a Premier League club when he is ready to do so

Blackpool winger Tom Ince says that it “my dream to play at the top level” amid continued interest from Liverpool. 

The Reds, who let the youngster leave their ranks in 2011, have been chasing their former charge after his fine form in the Championship and, when he is ready to do so, the England Under-21s international is keen to test himself at such a club.

“My dream is to play at the top level and to achieve my ambitions but it’s all about timing and patience, so when you get to the top you are ready to go and not jumping too soon,” Ince explained to reporters.

“There was something about Liverpool coming in for me in January and to go to a top club like that would have been fantastic but I have to realise it’s about playing football and I don’t think any of the moves were close.

“It’s great having that speculation and it’s very flattering. To have teams of that magnitude saying you’re a decent player, it gives me a smile and flatters me a lot.”

Since leaving Anfield, the 21-year-old has blossomed at Bloomfield Road, where he is now manager by his father, former England star Paul Ince.

“For me it’s about putting my faith in Blackpool because without that club, my team-mates and the fans I wouldn’t be Football League Young Player of the Year and the player I am now,” the youngster enthused.

The Three Lions captain was disappointed to surrender the advantage against Montenegro but is adamant that his side can reel their opponents in and qualify as winners

Steven Gerrard feels that England still have the ability to secure automatic qualification for World Cup 2014 despite suffering a setback against Montenegro.

The Three Lions captain was left downcast by their underwhelming display, from which Roy Hodgson’s men had to settle for a point after they surrended a one-goal lead late in the second half.

It was a disappointing evening for England but the Liverpool midfielder was eager to stress his faith in his team-mates and is determined to reach the finals as group winners.

He told the FA’s official website: “We’re still confident we can finish top of the group. We need to win all our games and we certainly need to improve on the second half performance and play like we did in the first half.

“We need to go and get three points when we go to Ukraine and we need a perfect result at home.”

The 32-year-old was impressed with England’s first-half efforts but pointed to a failure to secure the second goal as the primary reason behind their lacklustre showing in the second half.

“We stopped playing after the break for 20 or 30 minutes and away from home you can’t do that,” he opined. “We stopped passing the ball and that’s when we lost control. I think they deserved the equaliser.

“There was a lot of experience out there and we showed that in the first half – we controlled the game – but the problem is, at 1-0, you’re always vulnerable – you’ve got to go on and get that second goal to be in complete control and we didn’t do that.”