Jordan Pickford raises the question of the mentality of the Everton derby – and reveals the key to ending Anfield's injury

Jordan Pickford knows that Everton is ready to face the hype of a Merseyside derby. There is one key aspect that will give the Blues a great chance of victory.

Marco Silva's men will travel to Anfield at the end of a great race, having won five victories in their last seven Premier League appearances and currently ranked sixth in the Premier League standings .

However, Liverpool are in good shape despite a midweek defeat against Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League, second on the table and undefeated in the Premier League.

Everton recently broke his record against ruthless rivals, with no win for over eight years and no win at Anfield since 1999.

But Pickford thinks it's time these records change – and highlights the importance of a clean sheet for the Blues to get the desired result this weekend.

"We want to win every game we play, and these derby games are always more popular," ECHO told Pickford.

"These discs must be broken.

"These are the games you want to play in. Every game in the Premier League is difficult, but when you play against these teams, you have to be even more successful.

"In the Man United match, we did not have the chance to score a point but we had a chance to get a draw against Chelsea was a big win because it was one of the top three the time at that time.

"The main thing is to keep a clean sheet against these teams, because we have excellent attackers who can now score goals.

"You look at the talent we have in the team.First, getting a clean sheet will be huge because it will be a stepping stone to trying to score a goal.

"As long as we defend as a team, we will have a great chance to score another goal on the other end."

Although this may be just another match for the players and the staff, it's anything but for the fans of all Merseyside.

The Merseyside derby is finally subject to a lot of extra pressure, but Everton's goalkeeper knows he and his teammates will be ready to handle it.

When asked if he let the hype touch him, Pickford replied to ECHO: "Personally, I do not do it, but I can only speak for myself. I do not let it affect me.

"But I think that with the group of guys we have, we have an excellent fitting room and I do not think it will affect them too much either.

"We have some new recruits who have arrived and they will be cool at the derby, I think they will enjoy it and the pressure will not affect them either.

"It's a great derby match, there's a lot of hype around that, but we just have to focus on ourselves – it's another football match, going to Anfield will be a difficult match, but we will be training all week there with a good game plan and, hopefully, positive. "

A number of players will make their first appearance Sunday in the Merseyside Derby at Everton, but Pickford knows that they will already know the importance of this match for their supporters.

Pickford said, "I do not think anyone really needs to say what the game will look like. It will be a great atmosphere and the fans will be with us all.

"The key is to give a happy face to our fans.

"In every game, it 's good to go, get a result and let the fans cheer at the end and sing songs." It's quality and that's what it's all about. is football that makes fans happy.

"The fans will all be nervous as the match approaches on Sunday, not us as players, and it's time we put a happy face on them."

Everton's defense has improved significantly over the last few weeks, particularly in terms of securing a clean sheet in two-legged games against Chelsea and Cardiff.

Pickford, however, does not think it's necessary to bring group four back to the background, but thinks the competition for the squares has played a bigger role in the resumption of the Blues.

He added: "I think everyone always says it's better to qualify for four, but it's even better when you're competing for places.

"Everyone is scrambling at the training to get that jersey and I think it helps more than having four places back, because in this way, everyone has to perform to keep his place on the side.

"It gives the gaffer a good headache, it gives the whole team a headache to perform even better."