Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged his players not to allow aggression to get the better of them when they take on Merseyside rivals Everton at Anfield on Wednesday.
Klopp is preparing for his first local derby since replacing Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager in October.
The clashes between the two clubs have resulted in 20 red cards - the most sending-offs ever between Premier League teams - but there has not been a dismissal in the last nine meetings.
"My Merseyside derby experience will 100% not be the reason for winning or losing," Klopp told reporters in Tuesday's press conference. "My job is to prepare the team. Before I came to Dortmund there were a lot of red cards in derbies [against Schalke]. I don't like that showing.
"Maybe 20 fans want to see you do things like that but it will never help. A red card can happen if you are a second too late but not because you want to show 'I am the man'. I understand aggressiveness only one way and that's being prepared to hurt yourself and not somebody else.
"The best football is always full of emotion, passion and aggressiveness: legal aggressiveness. To handle emotions and the pressure, that's one of the big challenges in top-class football. We played Manchester United, I don't know if Everton is the biggest game or United is, but we handled it really good. That's what I expect from this game too - that everybody sees from the first second on that we want to win this game. But with football."
Ten points separate the two clubs in the Premier League table, with Liverpool eighth and Everton 11th.
Danielle Joynson
