Round-up'A very special game' - Arne Slot on Merseyside derby, Isak, UCL and more

Liverpool and Everton will meet for the 248th time - and the first at Hill Dickinson Stadium - in the Premier League on Sunday (2pm BST).

To preview the match, Slot sat down with reporters on Friday morning at the AXA Training Centre.

See a summary of what the head coach had to say below.

On a first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium and aiming to strengthen Liverpool's position in the league...

It's always a very special game, [it] doesn't matter if it's the 60th game being played in the stadium, but if it is the last one being played at the stadium and the first one that always makes it probably even more special if that's even possible. Of course, they are in a very good place at the moment. It's always special, but maybe you can add one or two per cent to it, because it's now the first and last season it was the last [at Goodison Park]. But it will always be a very special game for them, but definitely also for us.

On the motivation entering the game to avoid further 'slip-ups' this season...

Yeah, but that's what I said, I think, already five, six or seven weeks ago. That is always the aim. We didn't want to lose against [Manchester] City away, we didn't want to lose against Paris Saint-Germain and I think that is always the aim. If you go into games, you never want slip-ups, so you want to perform in the best way possible.

On whether this is the 'right kind of game' after the Champions League defeat by PSG...

Yeah. But they've showed a lot of character against Paris Saint-Germain as well because being the better team against Paris Saint-Germain is very, very, very complicated, let alone if you have to play three games in seven days and you face an opponent that only had to play two. They were very well rested... a lot of my players broke records in terms of physical output. That tells you how strong they are and how ready they are and that will now be no different for the game on Sunday.

• Arne Slot backing Hugo Ekitike to return 'stronger' from injury

On whether he is expecting a different atmosphere at Everton's new stadium...

No, I don't know, because last season was my first Merseyside derby in that stadium [Goodison Park] so if we would have played in the same stadium I probably could know what to expect. But I don't think a stadium is loud, it's usually the fans that are loud, so how much of a difference it will be I can tell you after the weekend. I think their fans will be loud, as our fans will be loud as well. I think it's not the stadium itself that makes the difference usually, it's always the players that make the difference and the fans can have an impact to help the players out, that's for sure.

On the importance of having Alexander Isak back following news of Hugo Ekitike's injury...

First of all, it's at least a good thing we've signed two No.9s because there were a lot of people who were debating why we signed two No.9s. We thought maybe it's a smart idea not to be the only club in the world that only has one No.9, so that's why we signed two. Now all of a sudden, that looks maybe quite good and maybe, maybe - I don't know - people are questioning now if we should sign in the summer another No.9. Someone said to me the day after [PSG], you cannot write the script that on the day that Alex is back after four months of injuries, first start, the same day the other one leaves the pitch with a long-term injury.

It's a good thing Alex is back now even more, of course, although it wouldn't be the first game that I have to play without a particular type in a particular position; I've had many games this season I didn't have the right full-back available, for example. So, we would have adjusted to that as well, but it's nice to have Alex back, although we also know that he's not ready to play 90 yet.

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On whether Liverpool's remaining fixtures are a 'mini-league'...

Every team is, of course, focused on the positions around them. So, if you are at the bottom end of the table, you play a mini-league against a team that could go out of the league. And of course, our focus now is definitely not on Arsenal, it's on the teams around us when it comes to playing a mini-league. But our main focus is on the first game at hand and that's Everton.

On whether the intensity of the PSG game could have an impact at Everton...

I don't think it can affect that because there are more than a few days in between and it did not even affect us, the Fulham game affected us by being as intense as we were against Paris Saint-Germain. Of course, I have to factor the Anfield factor in because there might be people who think, 'Why didn't you play like this away from home?' Now that's a bit more complicated than people might think.

The fans play a big part if you want to go as aggressive as we were and taking the risk as we did. We took the same risk in Paris but then they were five or six times in front of our goalkeeper and now we could keep them away from our goal in large parts of the game. So no, being tired has no influence on the game on Sunday.

On getting Isak back up to full fitness as quickly as possible...

Very important. Although there are also other players that can fill in that position, but those players have played in different positions throughout their lives more and more. Cody [Gakpo] did really well when he came in in the second half [against PSG]. Of course, it's important.

You don't get it like that, but the best thing [would be] that Hugo was still fit, but if he wasn't, then if this would have happened then two or three weeks later would have been better because Alex is not ready for 90 yet - depending on the intensity of the game, by the way, because you never know how a game is going to work out. He's getting closer and closer and now we need him but there are different options to play as a No.9 as well. Federico Chiesa is also one of them so there are different options, but it's definitely good to have Alex back now Hugo is injured.