Everton v Sporting:UNLIKE SOME Premier League clubs, Everton have embraced the Europa League but they drew the line at being ordered to kick-off at tea-time. Everton's manager, David Moyes, yesterday condemned Uefa for insisting that their tie with Sporting Lisbon start at 5.45pm today to avoid a clash with Champions League games kicking off two hours later.

Everton and Liverpool had been drawn at home in the round of 32 but Everton were told to move their game from Thursday to Tuesday because of Liverpool’s superior European record.

“I don’t know what sort of atmosphere we are going to get,” Moyes said. “We will be kicking off at tea-time when people are still coming home from work. It is something that Uefa have not done very well. They have been really poor in evaluating a competition we want to do well in. I don’t know why they could not have ruled that one of these sides would play the first leg at home and the other would play away. That would have solved everything but Uefa have not done this properly. They have not got it right.”

Everton, who expect a crowd of around 30,000, are, nevertheless, confident that the early kick-off would not see swathes of empty seats at Goodison Park and insisted there had been no problems recruiting sufficient stewards.

However, while clubs such as Aston Villa and Bolton have found the Uefa Cup an inconvenience and the Fulham manager, Roy Hodgson, wondered if its replacement, the Europa League, was worth the hassle, Moyes said he has been enthused by it.

Since Everton have no other silverware to compete for and are now mining a rich seam of form, the Europa League is seen from Goodison as a competition now well within their compass.

With virtually a full squad available, their games against Sporting Lisbon should not produce the embarrassment of their encounters with Benfica in the group stages. The 5-0 defeat in the Estadio da Luz was their heaviest in European competition while the Portuguese leaders strolled through the return on Merseyside.

“They are similar to Benfica in that they have a big history as far as European football is concerned,” Moyes said of Sporting who have met English opposition six times in European knockout competitions and won through each time. “However, when we played Benfica, they were in a really good moment and I am not sure that Sporting are.”

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has been rushed back into the Everton side for this evening’s game due to the absence of Marouane Fellaini, who has an ankle injury.

As well as Fellaini, Moyes will also be without John Heitinga as he is ineligible. Philippe Senderos is doubtful with a back problem but Steven Pienaar returns to the squad following a domestic suspension.

PROBABLE TEAMS

Everton (4-4-1-1): Howard; Neville, Senderos, Distin, Baines; Donovan, Osman, Arteta, Pienaar; Cahill; Saha.

Sporting Lisbon (4-5-1): Rui Patricio; Abel, Carrico, Tonel, Grimi; Mendes; Izmailov, Moutinho, Veloso; Carlos Saleiro, Liedson.

Referee: Darko Ceferin (Slovenia).