Ronald Koeman has told Evertonians ‘we know what this means to you’ ahead of the 228th Merseyside derby.
The Dutchman heads to Anfield for the first time as Blues boss on Saturday, a 12.30pm kick-off.
And while he admires the “hunger” from Everton fans to defeat the Reds, he insists his players must stay fully focused on the football.
“Everybody knows the importance of the Merseyside derby,” Koeman told evertonfc.com. “We had a great atmosphere at Goodison Park for the home game - not the best result, but we’re looking forward. We need to prepare the team for this Saturday and that is difficult [with the international break], but it is the same situation for Liverpool.