Georginio Wijnaldum expects Sunday’s Merseyside derby to be ‘a big fight’ for Liverpool.
The Reds travel to Goodison Park this weekend hoping to further solidify their Premier League title credentials against an Everton side in indifferent form.
Marco Silva’s side warmed up for a 223rd meeting with their rivals by arresting a dismal run of 10 defeats in 16 games with Tuesday’s 3-0 win at Cardiff City.
But Wijnaldum is braced for a tough challenge as Liverpool prepare to cross Stanley Park.
He said: “What do I expect? I expect it’s going to be a big fight.
“It was a big and good game last time we played them here. They were really good, better than all the times I’d played them before.
“I don’t expect them to be less motivated than they were before. I think it’s going to be a difficult game.”
“We always try to do the things we normally do. Every game is different,” he added.
“They can have a bad run and something can change and make them good again.
“In the derby, their fans expect a lot from the players. They will support the players on the pitch. It’s a different game to the others.
“This one is separate from all the other ones. I don’t think the last couple of games count, because of the atmosphere, the fans, the way everyone hypes this game.
“It’s different.”
Wijnaldum has a personal link to the derby, with his former mentor Marcel Brands currently serving as Everton’s director of football and on the club’s board.
However the Holland international does not anticipate any conversations with the man who signed him for PSV Eindhoven before the Goodison showdown.
“I speak to him once in a while,” he revealed.
“We didn’t speak before the last derby, so maybe not this time either.
“We speak from time to time!”