'Stevie and Carra have told me'

The Reds travel to Goodison Park on Sunday eager to make it three wins in the Barclays Premier League this season and four consecutive victories in all competitions over our rivals from across Stanley Park.

And Rodgers is relishing the prospect of walking out into a fiery atmosphere at the home of the Blues, in a game that 'means everything' to both sets of supporters.

Asked whether he had spoken to the likes of Carragher and Gerrard ahead of the weekend's clash, Rodgers said: "It's been interesting talking to those guys [about the derby] and it's clearly a wonderful occasion.

"I was involved in the derby between Swansea and Cardiff City and that's a ferocious derby. A real game for the supporters. In Liverpool [the derby] means everything.

"To the people of this city, football is a way of life. For many, many other cities it is a sport or a pastime. At Liverpool, the history and what has been achieved in the past gives us real motivation going forward.

"I've seen the Merseyside derby over the years and there have been some real firecrackers of games. There's a lot of passion and intensity in the games, which there should be because that's what derbies are about. But it's also important to stay calm.

"I've watched many games in many countries and this was a game that I remember from my youth and something I've always watched.

"It's a game that everyone wants to tune-in to. I'm really looking forward to being right in the middle of it, especially with our players because they are really motivated and looking forward to it.

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"But it's also about picking up the points and we'll see it as another game in which we can take another step forward. It's for the bragging rights as well and we'll go there and really look forward to it."

The derby can be a ferocious encounter at the best of times and is a fixture in which, historically, crunching challenges and red cards have featured prominently.

And Rodgers insisted that referee Andre Marriner has a big part to play in controlling Sunday's game.

"I think the ref has a big part to play in it," he said. "Because this type of game and the history of it shows there have been a lot of red cards. So I would hope that this weekend we might start to get the decisions go our way for once.

"The Merseyside derby is a terrific game full of passion and full of quality and I hope that the referee can really make sure that everything is under control."

The manager has been keen to oversee an influx of young talent into the senior squad this season and the likes of Andre Wisdom, Suso and Raheem Sterling have all made strides towards cementing places in the first team.

When asked whether he would persist with some of the younger, less experienced players for the weekend's game, Rodgers explained: "Every single game for Liverpool is a massive game.

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"When you put young players in, it's not just the ability you are looking at, it's the temperament and if you look at the three young players that I have been playing [Wisdom, Sterling and Suso] their temperament has been excellent.

"If they were to play then they will gain from experience. I have no qualms [about playing them] if I believe they are right to be in the team."

Meanwhile, Everton have started the season in fine form, collecting 15 points from eight games - including an opening-day victory over Manchester United at Goodison - and currently sit fourth in the league table.

"Everton have started well," said Rodgers. "I've heard and been around the city and there's obviously talk of Everton confident of finishing in the top four.

"So they obviously feel that they have the quality and the experience to go and do that. For us it's about taking it game by game. We'll look to improve and we are improving at the moment.

"The players have a real strong mentality and the nature of our game is becoming very good. Our possession is controlled possession. We are dominating games, creating chances and we are learning to defend better with the ball."