BEAT THE BOOKIE; William Hill NEIL HARNETT.

THE 208th Merseyside derby takes place this afternoon at Goodison Park and we can expect another fiery encounter between these two great rivals.

Everton have lost both games on home soil this season so David Moyes will be desperate to claim at least a point from this one. Although his side has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 10 league games, they go into this game in fine goal-scoring form.

The Reds, meanwhile, are three goals short of becoming the first club to score 1,000 goals in the Premier League, a statistic which I must admit surprised me.

Whereas we may be in for a feast of goals today, I think a raft of cards being shown is almost inevitable. I highlight the number of red cards shown in previous Merseyside derbies every season, and for a good reason.

There have been 15 dismissals in the last 23 meetings between these clubs, yet the bookies consistently overprice the likelihood of another red card being shown in this clash.

Ladbrokes have done it again by offering 11-4 for a red card to be brandished and the icing on the cake is that Mike Riley officiates the game today. He may not have sent a player off this season, but he has booked an average of five players in the four matches he has taken charge of, the highest average for any Premier League referee.

It's surely only a matter of time until a red card is brandished by the Yorkshire-based official and I'm hoping that day is today.

Each week I'll place a wager on an aspect of a Premier League game involving either Newcastle or Sunderland. At the season's end, any proceeds will be divided equally between two worthy causes - the Puffin Appeal which is aimed at raising pounds 2m to fund a respiratory department at Newcastle's Royal Infirmary, and the Tyne and Wear Autistic Society, which helps youngsters with autism and special needs and is based in Sunderland.

This week the focus is on St James's Park and the game between Newcastle and Blackburn Rovers.

Despite the ongoing problems facing the Magpies on and off the field, Michael Owen's form has remained a constant.

Owen has scored four times this season, with three of his strikes being the last goal scored in each respective game. Newcastle's captain plays to the final whistle regardless of the score line.

This week's pounds 25 charity bet is on Owen to continue his goal-scoring form and bag the last goal of the game at William Hill's price of 5-1.

BEST BETS THIS WEEKEND A red card to be shown in the Everton-Liverpool game at 11-4 ( Ladbroke s) Newcastle-Blackburn - Michael Owen to score the last goal at 5-1 (William Hill)