“We have to win this,” players from Everton and Liverpool declare before the match
You can see Everton’s new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock from the summit of St John’s Beacon.
Even though construction is still ongoing, the site appears to be taking on the role of a tangible reflection of the club’s future—one that is full of promise for advancement and exciting new stories to come. But if you cast your eyes farther across the Liverpool skyline, you should be able to make out Goodison Park, the sacred ground the Blues will soon depart from. Every significant event from Everton’s glorious past is ingrained in the structure.
And it is that, the chance to become part of the club’s great history, that most excites Rikke Madsen. The Denmark international joined Everton from North Carolina Courage in January and she is relishing the chance to take to the pitch at the Grand Old Lady.
“I’ve seen lots of pictures from the last time the girls played at Goodison and the atmosphere looked incredible,” she tells the ECHO. “I was there myself the other day and seeing it for the first time was incredible.
“It’s such a cool stadium. You can tell it has so much history so it’s going to be so awesome to play there. My parents are coming so it’s going to be so nice.”
Indeed, the prestige of Goodison is such that even Liverpool midfielder Ceri Holland – who joins Madsen in speaking to reporters inside the city’s iconic tower – can’t help but express her excitement to play there.
“It’s a special stadium, there’s no denying that,” she admits. “But it will good to see our fans there as well and hopefully we can get a really good attendance there. With no men’s games this weekend hopefully there’ll be a good atmosphere and we can give our fans the win they deserve.”
Admittedly, derby day wins have been hard to come by for the red half of the city in recent years, with Everton having won three of the last four meetings between the two sides in the WSL. A goal from Blues captain Megan Finnigan saw Brian Sorensen’s side take all three points from the reverse fixture at Anfield back in October but, with Liverpool having won their last three league games, Holland is hopeful they can carry their excellent form into this weekend.
“We’re under no illusions that it’s going to be a difficult game,” she says. “We’ve been performing well and so we just need to continue to do that. We’re aware (Everton) always turn up in a derby but it’s a special occasion and it’s good that everyone raises their game.”
Both the Reds and the Blues have encountered contrasting fortunes in the league this season, with Liverpool currently 14 points better off than their city rivals. But for striker Madsen, who is set to score her first goal for her new club, there is no doubt that Everton are heading in the right direction.
“We have struggled a lot with injuries but I think we show in games that we can do this,” she says. “We want to win games, we just need the end product. But we’ve looked each other in the eyes and said: ‘We’re going to get this this weekend.’
“I expect a very hard game. The last couple of games we haven’t won but we’ve been so close and we’ve been playing such good football so I really do believe in the whole group that we can do this.”
For Holland, who joined Liverpool in 2021, belief in the squad’s abilities is at an all-time high. Having finished last season in seventh place, the Reds are now pushing to break into the league’s top four and are level on points with fourth-placed Manchester United.
“It’s a real family feel environment at the club and that’s one of the biggest things that’s helped us get where we are,” she says. “Everybody does get along with everybody, as cliched as it sounds, and that includes the staff. It means we can stick together through the highs and the lows. It’s a special group.
“We’ve built on last season and put in some really good performances and obviously been a little bit more consistent than we were in previous years. It’s been a really positive season so far but we’re fully aware there’s a long way to go so we’ll continue to work hard and keep our heads down.
“We’ve created a really good base to build upon and we want to finish as high up the table as we can. That’s where the club belongs and we’re fully aware of that. But we’re also aware it doesn’t happen overnight so we’ve just got to keep on building.”
The sense of togetherness that has underpinned Liverpool’s success this season has also been evident within Everton’s ranks as they have been forced to navigate plenty of adversity on and off the pitch. And Madsen, who has very quickly become acquainted with the significance of a Merseyside derby, knows exactly how much a win on Sunday afternoon would mean to both her teammates and the fans.
“Rivalry is a part of the game,” she says. “You have to have one or two games where it’s like: ‘Okay, we have to win this one’. You don’t hate (the opposition) obviously but you want to beat them, so that’s fun.
“You can really feel that this is the people’s club. It means a lot to so many people and so to go on that pitch and hopefully give them a win will be incredible.”
The Women’s Merseyside derby will take place at Goodison Park this weekend, with kick-off at 1pm. Tickets can be secured online, over the phone on 0151 556 1878, or in person at the Goodison Road ticket office.