Everton need Europa boost

– Embattled Everton will hope to kickstart their campaign when they play host to Lyon tonight looking for a first win in the Europa League group stage.

The Premier League side have just one point from their opening two matches in Group E, following a comprehensive 3-0 loss to Atalanta in Italy by drawing 2-2 at home to the Cypriots Apollon Limassol last month.

Ronald Koeman’s men required a late Wayne Rooney penalty to draw at Brighton and Hove Albion on domestic duty last weekend, and in the last two months their only wins have come against Sunderland in the League Cup and Bournemouth.

“We just need to get results and once we do that, the confidence will come back into the team and things will come a little bit easier for us,” £45 million summer signing Gylfi Sigurdsson (above) told the club’s website.

“And I think if we get a couple of results back-to-back then we’ll hopefully get going. I don’t think we’re too far away.”

Lyon travel to England having also failed to win in the competition thus far, but Bruno Genesio’s side are fresh from beating Monaco 3-2 last weekend thanks to captain Nabil Fekir’s late free-kick.

Everton’s Premier League rivals Arsenal have fared rather better in the competition so far, beating both Cologne and BATE Borisov in Group H.

Arsene Wenger now takes his team to Serbia to face former European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade.

Like in previous games, Wenger will field a second-string side with the likes of Olivier Giroud and Jack Wilshere likely to feature along with several youngsters as Arsenal seek to bounce back from their 2-1 loss at Watford.

The surprise package so far in the tournament has been the Swedish club Ostersund, who have already won away to Zorya Luhansk in Ukraine and at home to Hertha Berlin.

They welcome Athletic Bilbao, the 2012 Europa League runners-up, to their compact Jamtkraft Arena. – AFP