Hugo Ekitke primed for Merseyside derby 'war' in honest Everton statement
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The Dutchman faced questions in Friday’s press conference about how Liverpool’s derby debutants will need to prepare themselves for such an occasion.
Ekitike is among those who could make a first league appearance against Everton, but he appears to already understand the importance of the match.
“I just watched some videos on YouTube and in that kind of game, people were just kicking each other,” the Frenchman told Stan Sports ahead of the encounter.
“It’s a dangerous game but it’s exciting because when I came here, they told me straight away about the derby.
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“It’s really important and it’s the kind of game you need to be ready mentally.
It’s going to be a tough game.
“We need to be ready for this war on Saturday,” he added
“It’s going to be a tough game, but I think we are ready to play this game.”
Ekitike could be in line to start, with Slot revealing Alexander Isak is feeling the effects of his first start in nearly four months.
What I do know is that Alex did feel his body maybe more than ever before after the 60 minutes he played,” said Slot.
"So let's see how he recovers today and then we are going to think about the line-up today and you will hear it tomorrow."
On what Liverpool’s players should expect in a first derby, Slot said: “We have to prepare them for that and of course maybe Virgil [van Dijk], Mo [Salah] and these kind of players will tell the new ones what they can expect.
“But we are not talking about rookies; it’s not like these players play for the first time in a full stadium or for a first time in these kind of games
Yes, it’s special but it is not miles off other special games they have played.”