A Lotti to play for

INCE’S WARNING

EVERTON will refuse to roll over for Liverpool as they eye a late Europa League charge, Paul Ince has warned.

The Reds are a mammoth 22 points clear at the top of the table, despite Manchester City’s 3-0 drubbing of Arsenal on Wednesday night.

Everton, meanwhile, are in the bottom half of the table following a challenging campaign.

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Ince (right) reckons his former side will keep their cool in the Merseyside derby.

But the pundit, now 52, says Carlo Ancelotti is ready to throw a spanner in the works.

“There’s no chance Liverpool will be nervous,” he said.

“If they were one point clear and other teams were chasing, then that would be squeaky bum time.

“But we know the title is a given. For Liverpool it’s about being professional and getting the job done.

“Don’t forget Everton still have a slim chance of getting into Europe, though. “They have plenty to play for. “Everton’s target is to try and gain ground on Wolves, Sheffield United and Manchester United.

“It’ll be very tough – nobody expected Sheffield United to be performing this well. But a lot can change in nine games and because of the situation you might see some strange results.”

The game will be behind closed doors at Goodison Park – and Ince says that the empty stands will hand the visitors a boost.

“I used to love going there because the atmosphere was electric,” he added.

“The noise can get to you and affect how you play. Not having that is going to be strange. It’ll be surreal for the players and will probably benefit Liverpool.

“Not having the noise in the stadium is going to be tough. If Everton were playing someone else, it might have been easier to get used to.”

The Toffees dismissed boss Marco Silva in December following a 5-2 thrashing from their city rivals.

But they snapped up Ancelotti and the experienced chief has masterminded an upturn in results.

Ince believes they will be a different beast once the Italian has made his mark. “He needs to spend money,” he said. “But Ancelotti is a marvellous manager with a tremendous record. I don’t think the top four will necessarily be doable next season, although I’m sure you’ll see Everton back in Europe soon.”