Jurgen Klopp is refusing to be distracted by his excellent record against Everton when the two sides meet at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime.
The Reds boss looks to continue his impressive streak against the Blues, having only lost one in 17 meetings and winning 10, but insists he is not interested in past games, while emphasising how big the Merseyside derby is.
“It is uncomfortable when you tell me about my record,” said Klopp.
“I couldn’t be less interested in what happened in the past. We aren’t thinking about this.
“We understand the importance of the game, the pressure. I can’t remember enjoying the thought of a derby.
“There is a lot of intensity before a ball is kicked. We have to channel that in the right areas, with all the extra motivation from outside.”
Klopp’s midfield is likely to include some players who have not experienced a Merseyside derby. Alexis MacAllister, Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai all joined Liverpool in the summer but Klopp is confident they will be able to cope with what can be an intense game.
He said: “It’s a special game, a high-pressure game and they have all played them.
“All the players are used to this kind of game. We shouldn’t make it too big for the new players, they are ready for it.”
Klopp confirmed a week of speculation surrounding Andy Robertson’s shoulder injury sustained in Scotland’s clash against Spain that means the left-back is expected to be sidelined for around three months.
“The decision is we go towards surgery,” he said.
“There was a chance he could try and do without (surgery), but having talked to experts, surgery will be the best thing for him in the long-term.”
With Kostas Tsmikas set to fill the position, Klopp believes the demands of playing every game in Robertson’s absence could be a big ask for just one player.
He said: “Kostas is definitely the most experienced in the position. That’s good, but he cannot play all the games from now on so we need other options as well.
“We have Joe Gomez who can play that position, we have Luke Chambers and other young boys.”
Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajectic and Ben Doak are also ruled out for this weekend.
With both sides having players returning from international duty as late as Thursday, the choice of the game to be played in the 12.30pm Saturday slot cause quite the stir.
Klopp refused to be drawn on the matter other than to suggest the travel arrangements of his South American players were handled better than the previous international break.
“The first time (September’s international break) didn’t work out,” he said.
“There was a miscommunication with other clubs. We booked flights, better flights, put them all together and picked them up from wherever they played.
“It’s a tricky selection, we have to talk to them and see how they’re feeling. Travelling was better this time”.
