Match Preview: Everton v FC Krasnodar
TEAM NEWSRoberto Martinez confirmed the majority of his starting line-up at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The Blues boss confirmed Ivorian striker Arouna Kone will make his return to first-team action against Krasnodar after more than a year on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.
Bryan Oviedo and Steven Pienaar will start the final group game as they step up their comebacks from leg and knee injuries respectively.
Youngsters Tyias Browning and Luke Garbutt start in the Blues defence, while Joel Robles and Christian Atsu are also given the nod.
Antolin Alcaraz and Conor McAleny will both be involved but Martinez did not state whether the pair would start, or be named amongst the substitutes on Thursday evening.
The manager also said other young players will be given an opportunity against Oleg Kononov's side, but stopped short of naming the rest of his starting XI.
FORMThe Blues guaranteed top spot in Group H with an impressive 2-0 win over Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena last month.
Krasnodar, meanwhile, will not be able to qualify from the group after drawing two and losing three of their five group games so far.
But the Bulls have been in great form in their domestic league, currently sitting fourth – behind Zenit St Petersburg, CSKA Moscow and Dinamo Moscow – going into the three-month winter break.
LAST MEETINGKrasnodar 1-1 Everton, Thursday 2 October
Roberto Martinez’s side snatched a point late on at the Krasnodar Stadium courtesy of Samuel Eto’o’s predatory strike.
Ari had given the hosts a half-time lead, capitalising on Phil Jagielka’s miscued clearance to put the Europa League debutants ahead.
But the Blues, playing in their first-ever competitive game on Russian soil, battled back in the second period and got their just rewards as Eto’o turned in Leighton Baines’ whipped cross with eight minutes remaining.
ONE-TO-WATCH: Ari
Ariclenes da Silva Ferreira, more commonly known as ‘Ari’, is a Brazilian forward who has been in fine form for Krasnodar this season.
The 28-year-old notched in the corresponding fixture in October and has scored three goals in his last four appearances.
One of those earned Krasnodar a point when the Russians hosted Lille in a 1-1 draw on matchday five.