Who would have thought that Everton would be the last surviving Premiership club in Europe this season? Sadly, that is the case as The Toffees face Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine in their second leg Europa League tie on Thursday.
Credit to Arsenal for dominating their second leg tie in Monaco but they couldn’t quite pull off the 3-0 win needed to keep alive their Champions League hopes. Manchester City were outclassed for a second time by Barcelona, although it is fair to say that the draw was not kind to them. Everton are no certainties to keep the flag flying in Europe after fighting back for a 2-1 win at Goodison Park last week.
Romelu Lukaku has not been that consistent this season but he was on his best form that night. The Kiev defence didn’t seem to know how to deal with his battering-ram approach, although the decisive goal came from a spot-kick. Lukaku seems to have assumed the role of penalty-taker ahead of Leighton Baines and that is something to bear in mind in the goal scorer markets.
On the domestic front, Everton have been woeful this season and a weekend victory over Newcastle was greeted with great relief by the home fans. Life is bad enough for Evertonians with Liverpool surging up the table without facing the spectre of relegation. The scenario seems unlikely now, although the Toffees still need to gather a few more points to be guaranteed safety.
Their involvement in Europe has been cited as a reason for some of their disappointing league performances and that may well be the case. Martinez has certainly adopted a positive approach to a competition that has been given scant respect by other sides. If they can get past Kiev on Thursday, they are into the last eight and a Cup final would mark a major achievement for Everton. David Moyes kept them in the top half of the table but never managed to secure a trophy in his long tenure.
Everton have been impressive on their travels, particularly at Young Boys where Lukaku bagged a hat-trick. The Belgian International has now scored seven goals in his last seven games and looks worth a bet to help the Toffees keep Premiership interest alive in Europe, for a little longer at least.
Everton to win @14-5 BetVictor
Romelu Lukaku to score at any time @11-4 Betway
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