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Cape Town - Everton boss Roberto Martinez has called on his players to end their Anfield hoodoo when they take on Liverpool in the Merseyside derby on Saturday.
The Toffees have not won on enemy turf since September 27, 1999 and their last trip across Stanley Park ended in a 4-0 defeat in January.
Having steered Everton to a first win at Old Trafford in 22 years last season, Martinez is hoping to register another landmark victory this weekend,
"The last time we beat Liverpool at Anfield was September 27, so let’s hope it’s the same," he said in a press conference.
"It affects us in a positive way in my eyes because stats are there to be broken. It’s a difficult place to go but there are many others too and we have gone and changed the stats and history. I look forward to that - it’s an extra bit of motivation."
Much has been made of Everton's poor defensive record this season, and Martinez admits it something that needs to improve.
"It has been an area that we have been quite poor and we need to improve," the Spaniard added. "We need to fine tune. You look at the experience we have in the team. It is just making sure the focus needs to be better.
"That is clearly an area that we need to resolve. It is affecting scorelines. I think performances have been better than last season but we need to improve.
"We don’t want to accept the amount of goals we have conceded. We don’t want to be a team that concedes cheaply. I don’t think it is in the nature of the two sides.
"We want to impose ourselves on the game. The city wants two teams that will grow and get better. We want to become as good as we can."
