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CARLO OUT TO END JINX
CARLO ANCELOTTI has urged Everton to keep their trophy dream alive by beating Liverpool.
And if they manage that they will bring an end to their Anfield hoodoo.
The Toffees have not beaten the Reds at away from home since 1999 and are without a win in a Merseyside derby since 2010.
They are also chasing their first trophy since lifting the FA Cup in 1995, a fact that was discussed when Ancelotti met majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright before taking the job just before Christmas.
The Toffees boss said: “Of course, we spoke about this, that it has been a long time since the club won a trophy and the last time was the FA Cup.
“And so, this is the goal. To try and bring trophies to this club, it takes time but we have to have this dream.
“On Sunday, the derby will be the most difficult step but we have to keep our dreams alive.
“I know how Evertonians would like this and we have the same dream, to beat Liverpool at Anfield. It is a dream for us and an opportunity so we will try.
“The fact that it is the oldest competition gives it a really special atmosphere.
“There are a lot of surprises in this competition. It’s a really exciting moment, we have confidence to do our best.
“The last trophy that Everton won was the FA Cup. It will be difficult. This is normal but you can do your best without fear.” Ancelotti, who also won the FA Cup with Chelsea in
2010, insists Everton will need to be perfect to beat Liverpool, even though Kop boss Jurgen
Klopp is expected to rest some of his big names.
The pair are good friends but the Italian could just as easily have been sat in the home dugout tomorrow.
He confirmed Liverpool’s owners spoke to him about the manager’s job at Anfield when he left Real Madrid in 2015 before they opted for Klopp.
Ancelotti added: “They were after a new manager but I think they made the right choice with Jurgen.”
But he certainly knows how to beat a Klopp team, having guided Napoli to victory against them twice in the last two seasons in the Champions League.
They also came close to knocking the Reds out of the competition last term at the group stage before they went on to win it.
Ancelotti said: “We are going to play against the best team in this moment, they are world champions so congratulations to them, but this is a fantastic challenge for us.
“You have to do a perfect game, which we were able to do with Napoli. We were able to give more than 100 per cent .”
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