Everton have left back Baines back from injury but it will be debated amongst fans whether he should start over in-form youngster Luke Garbutt, whose cameo appearances in the squad have people questioning Baines’ position. Baines has recently had penalty duties taken off him by striker Lukaku, and Garbutt, who has performed consistently in his absence, finally seems to have solved Everton’s corner woes, which truth be told, haven’t been the same since 2012. Everton have four players missing from their squad- Hibbert and Pienaar are still sidelined with long term injuries and will be for the foreseeable future. Oviedo will be missed (hamstring) but his absence from the squad makes Martinez’s selection for left back a little easier. McGeady returns after a knee injury and may well be fit enough to make the bench.
Kyiv have three doubts ahead of Thursday’s game. Skillful attacker Jeremain Lens is unlikely to figure, as he is still suffering from a hip injury which limits Kyiv’s flair- a relief for Evertonians who will be very tense about the second leg, as Kyiv bagged that dangerous away goal at Goodison last week. Twenty three year old Serhiy Sydorchuk is also a doubt for the game along with fellow midfielder Haruna, who is still out with a long term injury. And to the relief of many a Toffee, Younes Belhanda is out with suspension which limits their threat from midfield. Defenders Selin and Makarenko are also sidelined for the Ukrainians.
