Everton boss Roberto Martinez says Liverpool remain derby favourites
Saturday 3 October 2015 13:13, UK
Roberto Martinez is adamant that Liverpool are the favourites going into the weekend derby, which will be shown live on Sky Sports this Sunday.
Everton are in fifth place having stretched their unbeaten run to four games with a thrilling second-half rally at the Hawthorns on Monday night while stuttering Liverpool have taken just four points from their last four games.
Martinez has yet to taste victory in four Merseyside derbies and remains cautious about breaking that sequence at Goodison Park on Sunday.
He said: "I don't think being favourites matters a lot, it's about what happens in the 90 minutes and what we can create as an atmosphere at Goodison.
"If you're looking at the amount of money Liverpool have spent in the past few seasons they have to be favourites but I don't think we can take too much into the game. It's a very important game because we're coming into it after an away win, but we know it's a derby and it doesn't matter what kind of form you're in.
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"I know how important it is to get a victory - you only have to speak to the fans but the only thing that matters at this stage is to get three points to take a promising start into an exciting start. The derby is a fixture that we want to give our fans really a sense of satisfaction."
While Martinez will be focused on keeping his side's emotions in check, he acknowledges that other members of the backroom staff could get carried away.
He said: "The kit men are the ones you have to keep an eye on, they're the ones who get really excited. In terms of the players, they're very much focused and aware how important the game is and how difficult the opposition will be on the day."
Asked about the fitness of John Stones and Seamus Coleman for the weekend, he said: "It's too early to tell, they're progressing well but in their next two sessions we'll get an idea. Clearly we'll make a decision as late as we can."
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