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The first Merseyside derby of the season takes place this evening, as Everton Ladies take on their Liverpool counterparts in Widnes.

The sides meet in the first round of the FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup, with a decent crowd expected at the Select Security Stadium.

For Everton, it is a return to competitive action following a seven-week break. The international break, and the subsequent involvement of four Blues players in the England Under-19s squad for the European Championship in Israel, led to the postponement of three league matches.

Paige Williams, Everton's 20-year-old full back, says: “The break wasn’t ideal but it gave us time to regroup and go again, work on things that weren’t going so well in the first half of the season and what better way to start than with a Merseyside derby?

“Derby games always have that extra spice and we usually don’t get bad results against Liverpool.

“They are a good side and this is a chance for us to play against a WSL 1 team, which is obviously what we want to be doing every week.

“The break was a killer and especially with our players being away with the Under-19s it means we have had an even longer break. It wasn’t ideal but the World Cup was such a great thing for women’s football because it has increased involvement and really raised the profile of the game.”

For Liverpool, meanwhile, Lucy Staniforth is in line to make her first start for the club, having been ruled out through injury since joining from Bristol Academy almost 18 months ago.

Staniforth missed the whole of last season with a cruciate ligament injury, and has made just four substitute appearances this term. But she says she has been able to use the international break to step up her rehabilitation, and is ready to make her return in the derby.

“The games have worked out quite well for me,” she said. “Because I managed to get a few minutes under my belt, and the bulk of my game time has come in the development squad.

“It put me in a really good place going into the mid-season break to try and win my place in the starting line-up.

“It will be my first derby and it adds more spice for me, it doesn’t matter whether we’re playing Everton in the cup or in the league. Watching a few of the derbies as a spectator I’ve gauged just how important it is to win and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Everton Ladies v Liverpool Ladies takes place at the Select Security Stadium tonight, kick off 7.30pm