Slot Focused On Winning ‘Special’ Goodison Goodbye Derby

For the final Merseyside derby in the Premier League against Liverpool on Saturday, Arsenal will only anticipate a hostile environment and will only relish a victory.

Despite failing to win for just the third time in Slot’s 21 matches in charge in a 3-3 draw at Newcastle on Wednesday, Liverpool enjoy a seven-point lead at the top of the table.

Everton, by contrast, are focused on survival to begin life in their new 53, 000 capacity stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock next season in the top flight.

The Toffees would love to deny their local rivals’ title hopes, but they defeated Wolves 4-0 in midweek to move five points clear of the relegation zone.

Goodison, which has been Everton’s home since 1892, was one of the venues where Liverpool’s challenge unravelled last season towards the end of Jurgen Klopp’s time in charge.

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Everton won a Merseyside derby at home for the first time since 2010 with a 2-0 defeat over the Reds in April.

At his pre-game press conference on Friday, Slot stated, “I think it’s going to be special for everyone — for all the fans that are in it, for all the players that are in it, as well as for the managers.

“To play this game is already special, and playing it at Goodison Park probably makes it even more special.” However, if the outcome is positive, it’s only a positive experience.

Slot is aware of the gimmick his team will likely face, but he wants to take away from Liverpool’s historic defeat when the two teams last met.

The Dutchman remarked, “You need to be aggressive if you go there because they will also be aggressive, but you also need to be aggressive in a smart way.”

“We were very aggressive when we went there last year because I watched the game back there yesterday, but after half an hour I was surprised because Liverpool’s players made 10 fouls and only one from an Everton player.

Therefore, we must be aggressive but also smart, especially since they pose a significant threat to set pieces, so it’s not smart to give away an unnecessary free kick.

Liverpool will be without suspended midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, while Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley and Federico Chiesa remain out injured.

Source: Channels TV