JAGIELKA COULD PLAY TONIGHT!!

EVERTON BOSS DAVID MOYES SAYS HE WOULDNT HAVE A PROBLEM PLAYING PHIL JAGIELKA IN TONIGHTS CRUCIAL GAME AGAINST SPORTING LISBON....

David Moyes says he would have no problem playing Phil Jagielka against Sporting Lisbon on Thursday.

The centre back has not played since suffering knee ligament damage against Manchester City in April last year but has been brought to Lisbon as cover with Sylvain Distin suspended and John Heitinga ineligible.

A planned return for Jagielka in Tuesday's reserve-team game against Bolton was thwarted by a frozen pitch but despite his 10-month lay off, Moyes says the 27-year-old will be ready to cure Everton's defensive headache should he be required at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

"We will have the usual band of players with us," said Moyes at his pre-match press conference. "We have Joseph Yobo, Philippe Senderos but Jagielka is with us as well. We'll have options tomorrow."

Asked if it would be a risk to throw Jagielka in against the Lions, Moyes added:: "It would be. But I've got confidence in him. He's a good player and we've missed him a lot. I would prefer not to put him into a game like this but sometimes needs must."

The Scot is also without right back Tony Hibbert plus midfielders Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini.

Heitinga is ineligble having featured in the Europa League for Atletico Madrid earlier in the tournament.

Captain Phil Neville says Phil Jagielka is ready to be thrown into the Lions' Den on Thursday.

The defender has been included in the Everton squad for the Europa League last 32 second leg clash with Sporting Lisbon, nicknamed the Lions, after a 10-month spell on the sidelines following knee surgery.

Neville himself missed a large chunk of this campaign with a knee injury but made his comeback in a Premier League clash with Burnley, while Mikel Arteta was also thrust straight back into competitive first-team football on his recent return from an almost identical problem to Jagielka's.

"Sometimes it's the best to be thrown back in," said Neville. "Sometimes you can play three or four reserve games and it still doesn't prepare you for that big European night or the Premier League.

"He'll be nervous but the adrenaline will get him through. He's an old-fashioned type English player and he has played with knocks and bruises, he knows his game and I'm sure he'll have no problem at all."

Everton take a 2-1 lead into the game at the Estadio Jose Alvalade following Miguel Veloso's last-ditch penalty in last week's first leg at Goodison Park.

Neville said the late blow should serve as a lesson to Everton's players that they will pay the ultimate price for mistakes on the continent.

"In Europe, if you're not 100 per cent concentrated you get punished," he said. "In the first leg we switched off momentarily, got punished and now we're under pressure. That was a big learning curve for us and now we know you have to keep your concentration until the final whistle."

An away goal would ease the pressure on Moyes' men as it would leave Sporting needing to score twice just to force extra time.

For that reason, Neville says it is vital the Blues don't set out purely to protect their slender advantage.

"I think it's important we score first or at least score the away goal," he warned. "If you sit back in Europe, you get punished so it will be a long 90 minutes if we do that, and we probably won't be in the next round. We have players who are suited to playing on the counter and suited to playing away from home."

Neville also admitted the Blues see this as a chance to banish the ghosts of October's 5-0 defeat against Benfica, claiming the locals of Lisbon will see the true Everton this time around.

He added: "Myself. Jags and Arteta travelled over to watch that game. For 45 minutes we did well but then the roof caved in. Portugal didn't see the best of Everton.

"Now we've got quality, we look solid, we have players back and they'll see the best Everton."

Everton squad: Howard, Nash, Turner, Baines, Yobo, Neville, Coleman, Senderos, Jagielka, Duffy, Arteta, Osman, Pienaar, Bilyaletdinov, Gosling, Rodwell, Baxter, Donovan, Yakubu, Anichebe, Vaughan, Saha.