Ex-Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant makes dramatic Merseyside derby verdict

Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has revealed that playing in a Merseyside derby felt like a matter of life and death.

Pennant played in five Merseyside derbies during his three seasons at the club and was on the winning side on three occasions, and losing just the once.

This weekend will see the two city rivals face off in the 243rd derby, with both sides heading into the game confident after recent form from before the international break.

With the city set to be submerged into what is a tribal event for the two sets of fans, the ex-Liverpool winger Pennant revealed to NewBettingSites.uk how it felt to play in a Merseyside derby, citing that it was truly a special footballing occasion.

“Playing in the Merseyside derby is always special,” he said. “The whole week prior to it everyone is messaging you and if you go out into town then you constantly have Liverpool fans coming up to you wishing you luck. With the preparation and these parts adding to the build-up to the game, the derby feels like a matter of life and death.

“As soon as you walk out at Anfield and start hearing You’ll Never Walk Alone, you hear the Everton fans booing, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The game itself is so feisty and there’s no love lost. It’s a crazy game and that’s why you see a lot of red cards in that game.”

Despite making 81 appearances across his time at Liverpool, he started just the once against the Toffees, playing a total of just 110 minutes.

Everton head into the game at Anfield in good form after winning three of their last four games in all competitions, while Liverpool also boast a strong record of winning eight of their last 10 games.

The first ever Merseyside derby came back in 1894, as the two teams played out a 2-2 draw and since then Liverpool have gone onto win 98 times, with Everton triumphing on 67 occasions, and the points have been shared 77 times, and this weekend promises to be an exciting encounter.