Venue: Stadion Kuban' (Krasnodar)
KO Time: 17:00
Everton take a 4,800 mile round trip into the virtually unknown on Thursday night when they take on Russian premier league side FC Krasnodar. The Russians are on their first European adventure in their short history and have an excellent home record in the competition, winning all 3 of their European home game scoring 11 goals and conceding none. The most suprising was probably the 3-0 victory against Spanish side Real Sociedad, a result that will be remembered by the Krasnodar faithful for some time.
Krasondar will be the second Russian side Everton have ever come up against in a European competition. The last time, the Toffees came up against a strong Zenit St Petersburg side, with Everton legend Tim Cahill scoring the only goal in a close fought encounter. With Russian sides fiercely strong at home in European competitions, a repeat performance would make the Everton faithful proud.
What can Everton expect of the Russian side? Krasnodar are a side with very good capabilites in both attack and defence. They currently lie 7th in their domestic league, having won 5, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their opening 9 games. Aleh Konanaw's side are on an unbeaten 4 game run, coming off the back of a good performance in France against Lille. A sturdy defence has led them to conceding only 6 goals in their first nine domestic games, a record only bettered by the top team in the division. They also have some good weaponry in attack, with Brazilians Wanderson, Ari & Joazinho contributing most of the goals so far in the domestic season.
In their first group game, Krasnodar contested a highly fought game against then leaders of the Ligue 1, Lille. They took a 'suprise' lead at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy inside 35 minutes, when Colombian Ricardo Laborde put them ahead. The Russian lead lasted up to the 63rd minute when Danish defender Simon Kjaer put the hosts level. The game went on to end 1-1 and left both teams 2nd & 3rd in the group, with early leaders Everton savaging Wolfsburg 4-1 at Goodison Park.
Many Everton fans seemed to have already underestimated the Russian side, though they shouldn't discount them yet. The atmosphere and conditions, aswell as the pitch, could all have an adverse effect on how Roberto Martinez's side play. Coming off the back of a Merseyside derby the Blues will have to be at their very best to beat the hosts. If Martinez can motivate them and get them playing as fluently as they had done the season prior to this one, Everton can return home to Merseyside derby with all 3 points in the bag and a 4 point lead on the rest of Group H, depending on how other esults go on Thursday night.
Everton came back to Europe with a bang after 5 years out of the competition, the destruction of a seemingly hopeless Wolfsburg side brought huge confindence to a side who had lacked it previously, although since the game against Wolfsburg on the 18th of September the side have failed to win a game.
Everton are a side with real ambition now, with Roberto Martinez at the helm the club is being propelled upwards. The Spaniard believes the sky is the limit for the side and it's hard to disagree with him, boasting a side with a mix of experience and youth. The Toffees have some of the best youngsters in England with players such as Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley currently plying their trade at the Merseyside club.
Everton are very much in contention for a shot at winning the Europa league this season. We've seen for many years now that any team can win this competition and with the extra incentive of a shot at the Champions League for the winners of the competition, Martinez's team will be as hungry as ever.
Ross Barkley will definitely not play on Thursday night as he is still recovering from a knee injury he sustained at the start of the season, Seamus Coleman will have another fitness test to see if he can get back to action but it isn't looking good for Belgian winger Kevin Mirallas who suffered a hamstring injury in the Merseyside derby on Saturday afternoon. Early indications coming from the club show he could be out of action for a couple of months.
Everton's start to the current domestic camapaign has been inconsistent to say the very least. They've only won of their first six games and sit 15th in the table, a placing fans and club staff alike will hope is improved drastically in the next few weeks. One thing that seems to be guaranteed in nearly every Everton game this season is goals, having scored the second highest amount in the league so far this season. The downside and huge worry for the blues is that they have also conceded 14 goals in the process, the worst defensive record in the league so far. If Krasnodar can get in at the Everton back four will the leaky defence be able to cope with the Russian side's array of Brazilian attackers?
Prediction: Krasnodar 2 Everton 3: A win for the blues who will be looking to continue their European tour with a win.