Rhys was cradled by his mother as he lay dying Parents lay flowers

Up to 40,000 spectators at Everton's home game will watch the plea on the big screen at Goodison Park.

Rhys was shot by a youth on a black BMX bike at a pub car park in Croxteth on Wednesday night.

A 16-year-old boy, the third to be arrested, is currently being held in custody and will be questioned later.

He was detained on Broadway in nearby Norris Green. Two local boys aged 14 and 18, earlier arrested on suspicion of murder, were released on Thursday night.

Merseyside Police have said they hope the appeal will improve on the disappointing response so far from the public following Rhys's killing, outside the Fir Tree pub, where he had been playing football with friends.

Det Chief Insp Dave Kelly said the appeal - as Rhys's beloved Everton take on Blackburn Rovers - will take place at 1715 BST.

Nobody deserves to lose their 11-year-old son, and anyone who knows anything about this should get in touch with the police right away David Moyes, Everton manager Fans united in grief for Rhys

"In March this year Merseyside Police put together an agreement with the region's six major sports stadia to use their premises for appeals about serious and organised crime," he said.

"This weekend a near-capacity crowd is expected to turn up to the match. We are using this opportunity to appeal for people to come forward with information which could lead to the arrest of those responsible for killing Rhys.

"Rhys was a fanatic Everton supporter and before the game there will be a minute's tribute to celebrate the life of the youngster who loved football."

Everton boss Dave Moyes and captain Phil Neville have both already made appeals for information to help catch Rhys's killer.

"Nobody deserves to lose their 11-year-old son, and anyone who knows anything about this should get in touch with the police right away," said Moyes.

Players from both teams will wear black armbands during the match.

Rhys's family will stand with David Moyes and his Blackburn Rovers counterpart Mark Hughes during the minute's silence, before returning to their seats.

Text information

Police have said that they are examining an abandoned bicycle, found in an area with a different postcode to the shooting.

Officers also confirmed descriptions of the killer's firearm, describing it as a black handgun with a long barrel.

Around 100 officers are working on the investigation, supported by 200 staff from the Merseyside Police gun crime unit, Matrix, which was set up two years ago to tackle the problem.

Detectives are treating the inquiry as Category A Plus - the "most serious" of crimes.

Officers have been handing out leaflets in the area with a special number for young people to text information anonymously.

Anyone with information can text the word "crime" followed by their message to 61051.