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Belgian side Standard Liege return to Merseyside as they face Everton in the first round of the UEFA Cup. Standard gave Liverpool a huge scare in the third round ( qualifying) of the Champions League, but were knocked out by a late Dirk Kuyt goal.

 

 

Everton started their campaign with a loss to Blackburn, then beat West Brom away before losing 0-3 to Portsmouth at home. Injuries have not helped David Moyes’ cause, with Andy Van der Meyde, Steven Pienaar and Tony Hibbert all unavailable. Joseph Yobo and Tim Cahill both started the weekend game against Stoke-a welcome sign for fans of the Toffees. The game, a five goal thriller, was won 3-2 by Everton, with Anichebe, Yakubu and Cahill on target. Club record signing Marouane Fellaini, bought on the last day of the transfer window from Standard, is cup tied for the game against his former club. Last season, Everton progressed to the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup before losing on penalties to Italian side Fiorentina. They qualified for this season’s UEFA Cup by virtue of their fifth placed finish in the Premiership last season.

Standard Liege were unlucky to lose to Liverpool, but the Belgian champions exited with their heads held high. They won the 2007-08 Jupiler League with seventy seven points, seven more than bitter rivals Anderlecht. They had the best defence in the Belgian league last year, conceding just 19 goals in 34 games, and the likes of Yakubu, Anichebe and Vaughan will be hard pressed to find a way through. Milan Jovanovic, last season’s Belgian player of the Year, scored two league hattricks , and was also strongly linked with a move to PSV in the summer.

 

 

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