Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said that he and his players are looking forward to Wednesday night's Merseyside derby against Everton, which will be the German's first since taking over at Anfield.
The Reds are unbeaten in 11 matches against their neighbours and enter this week's match in much better form, having stunned Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarter-finals last Thursday and followed that up with victory at Bournemouth, despite Klopp making several changes on Sunday.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Klopp said that his players' first thoughts were about the derby when they discussed the win on the south coast.
"This morning when we were in the dressing room and we spoke a little about Sunday's game at Bournemouth I don't think anyone was really listening," Klopp said.
"They are thinking about Everton. I'm okay with that. That's really cool. It's very exciting. It's important too.
"Derbies are always difficult to play because you have to handle the pressure. There's no advantage or disadvantage for either side."
Although Klopp admitted that there are fewer players from the Liverpool area playing in the fixture than in previous years, he feels that the importance of the encounter is understood because of the media spotlight.
"The biggest change is that there used to be more local players playing in the fixture," he added.
"They knew naturally from the first minute of their lives about the importance of the derby. But now the public view is so big in this moment – that's where the pressure comes from.
"All my players know about the derby because they hear so much about it. They know the importance of this game."
Six of the last seven meetings between the Merseyside duo have been draws, with Everton's only win in the last 14 contests coming in October 2010.
Pascal Lemesre
