Source: Liverpool_Echo
NIGEL MARTYN: Home leg vital when Everton play Sporting Lisbon in Europa League
WHOEVER Everton got in the draw for the knockout stages of the Europa League, it was only going to be a difficult proposition.[LNB]And so it has proved as we face Sporting Lisbon over two legs in February.[LNB]If we are going to progress through to the round of 16 then the majority of work will have to be done in the home leg.[LNB]A clean sheet and a lead will mean we go to Portugal with a lot of hope.[LNB]Sporting are doing well in the Portuguese League, a division with Benfica in second, who proved just too good for us.[LNB]But we played against them without our best players and a run of results in the lead up to the first leg would give us some real confidence we would then give Sporting better games than we did against Benfica.[LNB]I thought the side were a bit unlucky against BATE Borisov on Thursday and it was great to see so many youngsters given a chance.[LNB]I thought 16-year-old Jake Bidwell did really well at left back and at centre-half, Shane Duffy had a very good first half.[LNB]All the signs were very encouraging and the side did not get over-run.[LNB]
