Under-fire manager Rafael Benitez has insisted he is the right man to guarantee Liverpool a top-four Premier League finish and return the club to the top of Europe again (Liverpool 13/2 Uefa Europa League 2009/2010 outright winner).

The Spaniard has spent most of his week fighting fires in the wake of the club’s Champions League elimination and accepts the heat is on ahead of the Goodison Park showdown against local rivals Everton (Everton 9/4 draw 23/10 Liverpool 6/5 match bets) on Sunday.

Benitez, who only signed a new five-year contract last season, revealed he had spoken to the club’s American owners about his future prior to Tuesday’s win in Debrecen and outlined his desire to transform Liverpool’s fortunes.

He said: “I had given my word to the staff and the players. I love this city and I love the club and the fans.

“When I signed my new contract I had offers from other clubs for more money and a lot more money to spend in the transfer market. But I decided to stay because I felt we had a very good team.

“We will prove this during the rest of the season. We know we are not playing at the level we can but we will improve, we will be back in Europe.”

The Reds’ top scorer Fernando Torres could return from a groin problem when Liverpool make the short trip to Goodison for the Merseyside derby.

Don’t miss your chance to check out Totesport.com’s weekend Premier League match bets and ante-post football betting.