NEV’S DIG AT SIG RILES ANCELOTTI

EVERTON v SOUTHAMPTON GOODISON PARK, KICK-0FF 6PM

CARLO ANCELOTTI has hit back at Gary Neville for criticising Gylfi Sigurdsson as the Everton boss launched a defence of the Iceland midfielder.

Sky Sports pundit Neville said it “bugged” him that Sigurdsson (above) appeared to pull out of a tackle in the first half of Monday’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham.

But Ancelotti said: “I didn’t see that he didn’t put a tackle in. Gylfi a professional player, 100 per cent.

“He can play good, he can play bad, but he’s a great professional.

“Maybe he could do better but against Tottenham all the team could do better.”

Everton take on Southampton tonight with Ancelotti still holding on to slim hopes they can qualify for the Europa League, although they remain in the bottom half of the table. The Italian is looking to improve his squad this summer, and claims he won’t have to sell first. The ex-real Madrid, AC Milan, Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss has been linked with a number of his former players, including James Rodriguez, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani and Adrien Rabiot.

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is hoping to avenge defeat from his last encounter with Ancelotti – a nine-goal thriller in Germany.

Hasenhuttl’s Leipzig lost to Bayern Munich, but said: “We put the tactics away and showed everybody what we could do in attack. We were 4-2 up with 15 minutes to go – but we lost 5-4.” EVERTON: Pickford, Coleman, Mina, Keane, Digne, Iwobi, Gomes, Sigurdsson, Bernard, Richarlison, Calvert-lewin.

SOUTHAMPTON: Mccarthy, Walkerpeters, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand, Armstrong, Ward-prowse, Romeu, Redmond, Adams, Ings