Wednesday night's Merseyside Derby finds Liverpool and Everton in very different predicaments.

The red half of the city are hoping to maintain a sizable lead at the top of the Premier League. Meanwhile, the blue side is feeling a little bit... blue.

Under-pressure manager Marco Silva has his side sitting just two points above the relegation zone.

However, a derby is always unpredictable as the cliché goes and the Merseyside Derby is no different.

Ex-Ireland and Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson joined us on Off The Ball to share his memories of the Merseyside rivalry of the '80s when both clubs enjoyed peaks at the same time, whilst maintaining mostly friendly relations between the two sets of players.

The Liverpool-Everton rivalry was mostly friendly between the players in the '80s

There was only one minor flashpoint as Mark Lawrenson told us @PaddyPower #MerseysideDerby #LIVEVE

Watch the Football Show here: https://t.co/mv4jZ0FDSE pic.twitter.com/u2wdPr5obb

— Off The Ball (@offtheball) December 3, 2019

But he also gave his view on how hazardous the game will be for his former club.

"Last year, Everton were better than Liverpool at Anfield," he said.

Much Better

"They came with a plan and the plan almost worked. They had better chances early on but they just couldn't quite convert them.

"And that's why I say it's dangerous because forget about losing in the last minute against Leicester at the weekend, [Everton's] performance was actually much better than in recent times.

"They will play at least 20% above themselves but they haven't really got a goalscorer. But in Calvert-Lewin, they've got an absolute total nuisance who is quick and strong.

"That's why it's dangerous"

Mark Lawrenson feels Everton's form goes out the window tonight #MerseysideDerby #LIVEVE @PaddyPower

You can find the full chat here: https://t.co/mv4jZ0o316 pic.twitter.com/P0l6wW7aOl

— Off The Ball (@offtheball) December 4, 2019

"I think they'll get the ball up early. They can cause you lots and lots of problems because the pace of the game is much higher than normal.

"And people tend to make mistakes. They tend to make rash judgments. I look at it and think if Liverpool win 1-0, 2-0 at the most, I would absolutely and totally take that now. Because in derby games, strange things can happen."

You can watch the full Merseyside Derby chat with Mark Lawrenson above via our YouTube channel.