David Moyes says the gap between his Everton side and Liverpool is "as big as it has been for a long time" as the two sides prepare for Wednesday's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park (19:30 GMT).

The Toffees have not finished above the Reds since the 2012-13 season, which was Moyes' last in charge before joining Manchester United.

Recent years have seen Everton battle against relegation and financial issues while title-chasing Liverpool have not finished lower than fifth in the past eight seasons.

"There's a gulf between the two squads, and everyone's aware of the difficulty this club has had," said Moyes.

"The gap between the two teams at the moment has probably been as big as it has been for a long time. So it's something I have to bridge and start bringing the two clubs closer together.

"But I always go back to my last two years where we finished above Liverpool in the league twice. It took us a good few years to prepare that and get us ready.

"We've got a few years to go before we're going to be ready to compete with Liverpool again."

The original game on 7 December was called off because of Storm Darragh amid fears for supporter safety.

Since then Moyes has replaced Sean Dyche and led Everton to three wins from four Premier League matches, though they were beaten by Bournemouth in the FA Cup on Saturday.

As well as being the final Merseyside derby, Wednesday's match is likely to be the final night game at Goodison Park, with the Toffees moving to a new 52,000-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock this summer.

"Goodison is a really intimidating atmosphere and difficult place to play," said Moyes. "I've had some great nights here as a manager.

"Liverpool have always been a tough opponent, but at Goodison, it has always felt much easier because we have fantastic support behind us and this game will be no different."