Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has challenged his players to keep their cool when they host Everton in the febrile environment of the Merseyside derby today.
The fixture has produced more red cards  - 20 - than any other since the Premier League began in 1992, but Klopp said he wanted his team to handle the emotions and pressure in a professional manner.
The German is no stranger to city rivalries. He managed Borussia Dortmund during the fiercely contested Ruhr derby games against Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga.
“Before I went to Dortmund there were lots of red cards in derbies. I don’t want to see this. Not to show ‘I am the man’,” Klopp told reporters on Tuesday.
“Maybe one or two fans want to see stuff like this, but it will never help. I understand aggressiveness only in one way, and that is being prepared to hurt yourself, not somebody else.”
Liverpool face Villarreal in the semi-finals of the Europa League next week, but Klopp said his players had banished European ambitions from their minds and were concentrating on defeating their local rivals.
“Nobody in our dressing room is thinking about the Europa League,” he said. Liverpool are currently eight in the domestic standings, three places above Everton, and Klopp, who made 10 changes for their last game against Bournemouth, said he was not planning to save his best players for the semi-final first leg on April 28.
“We have a situation where we can change,” he added.
“We felt good before the Bournemouth game and it will be the same against Everton. No one will be rested.
“We have eight games, hopefully nine games to play. It makes no sense to push the same 11 players through all these games.
“It doesn’t mean we have to rest players for two weeks. If somebody thought when they saw our line-up for Bournemouth that we didn’t want to win the game, then it is the biggest misunderstanding in history.
“Liverpool is a very big club. It’s a big difference between seventh or sixth or fifth (in the
Premier League). We need to try everything to get the best position we can get. We could be fifth.”   
Everton’s Jagielka, Coleman to miss Merseyside derby
Everton defenders Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman will miss Wednesday’s Merseyside derby due to injury and the club are also sweating over the fitness of Leighton Baines, Aaron Lennon and Tom Cleverley, manager Roberto Martinez said on Tuesday.
Skipper Jagielka and full back Coleman both have hamstring injuries and could also miss Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.
“Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman will be definitely out of the derby,” Martinez told reporters ahead of Everton’s trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the Premier League. “I think it’s too early to make a final decision before the weekend. “We’re going to assess Aaron Lennon, Leighton Baines and Tom Cleverley ... They are very close and we’ll have a better idea if they are available for tomorrow.”
Midfielder James McCarthy is back from suspension and is likely to play in what Martinez described as a “defining week” in Everton’s season.
The club are 11th in the league table and Martinez said they needed to focus on correcting their form at home after losing eight and drawing five of their 17 league games at Goodison Park.
Everton have lost twice on the road in the league all season by comparison and their manager took responsibility for their underwhelming league position, which has resulted in growing discontent among their supporters. “It is quite a unique situation,” Martinez said.
“It’s very rare to see a team so consistent away from home. It’s Champions League form away from home. It’s going to be an important assessment at the end of the season. “I’ll take responsibility for it. We have to achieve that away form at home.”
Martinez pleaded with the fans to stay behind the players for their upcoming semi-final and he denied that the trip to Wembley was a distraction before the clash with local rivals Liverpool, who are eighth in the table.
“The message is that we understand that nobody can be happy about the form at home, but we are doing everything we can do. We need the fans in the semi-final,” he said.
“The Merseyside derby brings an extra spice and we’re looking forward to testing ourselves against the neighbours. The focus, I guarantee, is on the Merseyside derby. The focus will be solely on that game.”