Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is looking forward to his first Merseyside derby.
Hodgson believes both teams are in false positions and by the time the two sides meet again at Anfield in mid-January he expects things to have improved considerably.
"I am looking forward to it. It would've been nice if we could have been in a better position though," said Hodgson ahead of his first Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
"I'm sure my colleague David [Moyes] would be saying the same thing.
"It's a bit unusual to see a derby with both teams down there but I'm pretty sure we'll see both teams in a better position for the next one.
"I suppose there is extra importance because both of us are desperately in need of points - but it would be nice if we could get them."
Hodgson has experienced the Milan derby as manager of Inter but admits there are very few fixtures which can match the experience of a clash between two teams separated only by the few hundred yards of Stanley Park.
"In terms of passion I think this derby stands up there with the best ones," he said.
"If you are talking about derbies which excite all the people within the city, then you have to think of the ones from Glasgow and Milan too.
"If you are talking about pure derbies, then Chelsea versus Fulham certainly doesn't compare to Liverpool and Everton - only Milan and Glasgow can do that."
