Liverpool manager Arne Slot said he expects Wednesday’s clash with Everton at Anfield to be similar to their last meeting at Goodison Park in February but with the key difference that his players will have the backing of a home crowd.
Everton held Premier League leaders Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in a thriller to mark the last Merseyside derby at Goodison before their move to a new stadium, with nearly 40,000 in attendance.
As Liverpool close in on the league title with a 12-point lead over second-placed Arsenal, they face a stubborn Everton side who are unbeaten in the competition since January.
“They didn’t lose one football game in their last nine Premier League games, so it would be a surprise if they are going to do something different,” Slot told reporters on Tuesday.
“And we are top of the league so it would be strange if we are going to change something as well.
“I expect the same but with one difference, that every time the Everton players do something well, they don’t get the reactions and cheers… but our players will get that reaction, after every tackle they make, pass they do. And that is different emotion.”
While Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 25 Premier League games, they went into last month’s international break on a sour note after being eliminated from the Champions League by Paris St Germain on penalties and losing to Newcastle United in the League Cup final.
Slot said he and his team were eager to put the disappointment of March behind them.
“They are, like me, disappointed for us not winning our first trophy and being out of the Champions League,” the Dutch coach said.
“Everybody can understand the position we are in at the moment. That we are all looking so much forward to the upcoming nine games. The players are refreshed in my opinion.”
Slot brushed aside recent media reports linking defender Trent Alexander-Arnold with a move to Real Madrid, saying there had been several similar rumours about Liverpool players including Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
“We’ve never been focused on those talks. We’ve always been focused on what we have to do. For Virgil and (Mohamed) it’s trying to win the Merseyside derby. For Trent it is making sure he’s fit as soon as he can (be),” Slot said.
