Former Everton defender Andy Hinchcliffe expects the upcoming Merseyside derby to carry just as much importance for players, despite the lack of crowds.
The Premier League returns next week on June 17, with the Blues and Liverpool getting their seasons back underway against each other a few days later on June 21.
It has been confirmed that the derby will take place at Goodison Park, following suggestions that it could be moved to a neutral venue, although – like all games until the end of the season – it will be played behind closed doors.
Despite that, Hinchcliffe, who spent eight years with the Blues, believes the game will still carry as much weight as before.
“It will be very different,” Hinchcliffe told Sky Sports’ Football Show.
“I’m very fortunate, I’m from Manchester and I played in the Manchester derby as well as the Merseyside derby and they are just extraordinary occasions.
“Maybe over the years they have changed a bit, maybe they are not as fractious and aggressive as football has changed in those years as well.
“But playing in them was so different to playing in your bog-standard Premier League games.
“You just felt differently. Even though I’m from Manchester - there is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of Everton and Liverpool players, regardless of where you are from.
“You can sense it and you can feel it in the week leading up to the game. You sense how important it is.”
On his Merseyside derby memories, Hinchcliffe added: “I had some good days and bad days, but the one that stood out for me was the 4-4 draw that we played out in the FA Cup at Goodison Park.
“We managed to beat Liverpool in the replay but that 4-4 draw was extraordinary.
“But the atmosphere on derby day is unique.”
