Heitinga relishing Merseyside derby

Everton defender John Heitinga is looking forward to the opportunity to extend the gap between themselves and Liverpool this weekend.

The Toffees, currently fourth in the Barclays Premier League, are already six points better off than the 12th-placed Reds ahead of Sunday's Merseyside derby between the two sides at Goodison Park. Heitinga told www.evertonfc.com: "I can't wait until next Sunday because it's the biggest game of the year in my eyes. "It's a home game as well and if you take a look at the table, you know, you can't talk about favourites but if we win, there's a big gap between us and Liverpool. "I'm not talking about favourites but you know this is a game that is different to a league game because it's a derby and the stadiums are not far from each other. "There is just a park between the stadiums. In games like derbies there are some different emotions that are coming up into your body."