EVERTON v BENFICA (Thursday, 20.05 GMT)
 
EVERTON manager David Moyes' side may have failed to win any of their last six encounters but the Goodison boss believes he has cause for optimism ahead of tonight's game.
 
A 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at the weekend extended the Toffees' miserable run but Moyes refuses to be pessimistic ahead of Benfica's visit - and saw enough against Martin O'Neill's men to give him hope.

He said: ''Against Villa we were a bit more resilient and a bit harder to play against. Hopefully that will give us a platform to move forward.''

Everton's 5-0 defeat in Portugal on October 22 was their biggest-ever defeat in Europe and brought their unbeaten run in this year's Europa League to a shuddering halt.

However, Moyes is confident his side have put that setback behind them and is not convinced Benfica's runaway win will have much impact on the return leg.
 
"I think the first game was a sighter for us," he added. "We knew how good they were but will it have a bearing on this one? Who knows? A win for us will give us a good chance of qualifying. But saying that, we will still have to play well."
 
Strategy: Regardless of his diplomacy, Moyes will be desperate to avenge that October defeat and also see Everton win at home again. Their last victory on home soil was against Blackburn on September 20 so he knows it is of paramount importance to beat Benfica to boost confidence for both Europe and the Premier League.

Moyes is likely to stick with his 4-4-1-1 set-up but will want senior players Yakubu, Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini to exert more influence than they have done in recent weeks.
 
Injury update: Tony Hibbert has flu and could be a doubt - and Moyes is still cursed by injuries to many more players. Mikel Arteta will now be out until the New Year after a setback with his knee injury while Phil Jagielka, Phil Neville, Victor Anichebe, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar all remain sidelined.
 
BENFICA may have mauled Everton last month but they are a different proposition on their travels. They have not won a European fixture away from home since they overcame FC Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 in December 2007.

They lost 2-0 to SC Braga last weekend, a result which will have dented their confidence. But they do top Everton's group - albeit on goal difference - to suggest they could be the real deal.