KEVIN Nolan is fully expecting to find his living room painted an angry shade of Liverpool red, should his side turn over the title-chasers at the Reebok today.

A band of local decorators are hard at work renovating the Wanderers skipper’s home on Merseyside. And, having already fallen foul of the Evertonians, who painted a pictorial reminder of Marouane Fellaini’s late winner on his newly-plastered walls last month, he is expecting even worse should the Whites emerge victorious this lunchtime.

Nolan returns from suspension to contest a place in midfield and, as usual when one of the Liverpool sides come to town, he has been the target of his fair share of the infamous Scouse wit.

“The decorators I have in are half Liverpool fans and half Everton fans,” he explained. “Some of them haven’t talked to me since Tuesday.

“I have been getting texts asking me what our side will be – as if I know – so God knows what will happen if we win.

“I get good banter off everyone but I’m looking forward to it, I’ve just got to concentrate on the fact that it is just another game.”

Nolan is happy just to return to action after a week kicking his heels while his team-mates were earning a valuable win at Hull.

“It’s great to be back because I was a bit lost last week not having a game to look forward to,” he said.

“The lads were fantastic at Hull, and not just Jussi Jaaskelainen. I thought Gary Cahill, Andy O’Brien and Gavin McCann were excellent as well. It was a great win.”

With his Liverpool roots, Nolan knows exactly what pressure has been placed on Rafa Benitez to capture the club’s first league title in 18 barren years.

The omens are good after making their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign. Now, strengthened by the summer arrivals of Alberto Riera, Robbie Keane and Andrea Dossena, Nolan thinks they are finally ready to challenge for honours.

“The difference this season is that they have brought in another couple of players and now their first XI matches Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea,” he said.

“I don’t think that they have their strength in depth so, if the likes of Torres, Mascherano, Gerrard and Alonso can stay clear of injuries, I think they will be there or thereabouts, no shadow of a doubt.

“That is going to be a major thing for the Liverpool fans this season because in the past they have fallen at the final hurdle. They haven’t been around the title picture in the last four or five games.”

Wanderers were once considered the scourge of the Reds, chalking up some memorable victories, and prompting some equally unforgettable after-match rants from Benitez.

The Spaniard admitted he “had a lot to learn about Premier League football” after finding himself on the wrong end of a Kevin Davies winner just two months into his Anfield tenure. But recent years have seen the tide of good results slow to a trickle.

Liverpool have racked up three consecutive wins over the Whites, scoring 10 goals along the way. And Nolan thinks his team-mates must force the issue this afternoon if they are to reverse the trend.

“I think we have become a bit of a soft touch against them,” he said.

“We are going to have to make sure we play our way.

“We don’t want to be giving them time and letting them spray the ball about.

“We have got to make it fast, make it furious, and when we can get the ball down, get it in the box and try to get that first goal.”