The pair had both been tipped to make their start to the season in the showdown but Kewell's groin injury continues to keep him out of action.

And Cahill is only an outside chance of playing a part in the game as he recovers from his broken metatarsal, injured in the pre-season friendly against Werder Bremen.

"Tim Cahill is back in training and we have to make a decision if he is up for selection, I am not sure just yet," admitted Toffees boss David Moyes.

"Thomas Gravesen and James Vaughan are also back from injury and training and I will wait to make my decision on them."

Moyes believes Liverpool have bought to win the title - but the battle for the top four spots will be a lot tougher than usual.

The Everton manager, who guided his side to a 3-0 win over Liverpool at Goodison Park and a draw at Anfield last season, goes into the 206th Merseyside derby tomorrow quietly confident his side can continue in that vein.

It is the first time Liverpool have been to Goodison since their boss Rafael Benitez's infamous 'small club' jibe at Everton last February.

Moyes diplomatically side-stepped that issue, saying: "I never even considered the 'small club' remark. After the game we forgot about it."

Everton fans may not be so forgiving tomorrow but Moyes' main focus will be solely on securing another derby win.

He believes his side can make a big impact and despite the money spent by the big four, he feels nothing is out of reach for the chasing pack.

Moyes said: "The Premier League this season will show that the sides outside the top four will have improved.

"Maybe not all the results will go the way people expect. Portsmouth, Blackburn and Manchester City have all improved, and there are plenty of others too.

"There will be more games that the top four do not win as they would have expected to do so as often as in the past.

"All the top four places are up for grabs, even if we accept that it is hard to get there. Everyone is trying to close the gap on the top four and that could well happen.

"We could also push for a top-four spot, it is the while point of being here."

Moyes concedes that a different Everton style has evolved over recent years for occasions such as tomorrow.

He said: "Maybe we have changed the way we play in derbies since I have been here. Maybe at times we were too aggressive, we have tried to learn a bit over the years.

"We have tried to show we can play better football, and last season I feel we did show that against Liverpool.

"If you do get a good derby result, though, it helps you to push on and do well in other big games. That showed for us last season because we moved on from winning the derby to a position that got us into Europe.

"What you learn from your players is who can handle the big occasion, who is comfortable in them and do who does not freeze."

Liverpool spent lavishly in the summer, with Fernando Torres heading their list of recruits for a club record £20.2million fee.

Moyes added: "Rafa's the best person to ask whether he has a stronger squad now, I don't know what he feels about them.

"But from a distance, as Everton manager, they have spent to improve their squad and spent to win the championship.

"They look as if they have a side who could do that but we have brought in players to make us stronger as well. We have our own ambitions.

"They have signed to win the league and we have signed to make more progress. Both squads have improved since last season.

"It is hard to say whether we are much closer to them, we have always been hanging onto Liverpool's shirt-tails to try to keep up with them.

"I think we are doing our best at that, and let's be fair we made a decent go at it last season and I hope we can do the same this time around."

Andrew Johnson will miss tomorrow's game after an ankle operation, and Moyes added: "I think it is important that you have local lads involved who have come through the ranks and know what it is all about, and they also have the experience of the derby behind them.

"The likes of Alan Stubbs, Tony Hibbert and even Leighton Baines, who understands what the derby means, are important to us.


Moyes was pleased with last season's derby performances but cannot dwell on them now.

The Scot added: "Yes, we had good results against Liverpool last season, good memories. But that is all they are, memories.

"For me I enjoyed them greatly at the times because they were important. A win and a draw against Liverpool gave us our UEFA Cup spot, but they are gone now, we have moved on and it is all about the next game now.

"We must prepare properly for this game and not think of what happened last time here."