'Coutinho can sparkle in derby battle'
David Fairclough believes Sunday's Merseyside derby will provide the perfect opportunity for Philippe Coutinho to continue the superb start he has made to his Anfield career.
The Brazilian was in sublime form as he carved open Newcastle's defence during Liverpool's 6-0 rout at St James' Park at the weekend.
Fairclough knows the physicality of the game against Everton could come as a shock to the system for the 20-year-old.
However, he is eager for Coutinho to take centre-stage once more and guide the Reds to a crucial win.
"Coutinho has settled in very nicely," Fairclough told the Liverpool Echo. "But it will be a big experience for him.
"We've seen talented players in the past come in and not take to the derby at the first time of asking.
"It will be a big game for Coutinho. He will have played in big games before, of course, in Brazil and Spain and Italy, but this is different.
"He has consistently shown some good things since he arrived at Liverpool and Sunday could be a big opportunity for him."
A win on Sunday would close the gap between the sides to two points in the Barclays Premier League.
Fairclough is anticipating a typically-intense clash and he warned of the quality Everton, who sit sixth in the table, possess within their ranks.
"They obviously have the threat of Nikica Jelavic and Marouane Fellaini," he explained.
"Fellaini is always a big character in the big games and while Jelavic hasn't been in the best of form in front of goal Sunday will be a great stage for him to try and re-discover the scoring form he was showing last season.
"It could be a great match.
"It was important for Liverpool to get such a good win at the weekend after taking a bit of a battering over the other event of the week.
"And with this derby coming at the end of the season it will send the winner off into the summer in high spirits.
"Also, behind it all, there's the side issue of who finishes on top of the other in the table.
"There have been lots of bets wagered all over Merseyside on the outcome of that.
"It will be an eagerly fought match - and while it may not reflect some of the clashes of the past it will be fiercely fought, no doubt about that."
Fairclough knows what it takes to be a hero for the Reds against the Blues after his last-gasp winner at Anfield in 1976.
He netted one of the most famous strikes in derby history as he slalomed through the heart of the Everton defence and poked home to seal a 1-0 win.
"It was a fantastic experience," smiled Dave. "I'm reminded about it all the time even now - by Liverpool fans and Evertonian friends who still give me stick for it.
"To grow up a Liverpool fan and score the winner at a time when derby matches were so fiercely fought was a wonderful memory.
"It was an ambition of mine just to play in a derby, but to score a winner and be remembered for it is something I'll have all my life. And I'll cherish it.
"Fortunately it has been shown a few times since so I haven't been allowed to forget it. But whenever I see it again it does surprise me how it happened.
"As a striker you love every goal you score, but some are a little bit more important than others.
"And Evertonians have ribbed me about that one for years and I always have a bit of a chuckle about it."