Big-spending Everton to shine on Thursday

Toffees begin their Europa League adventure

Ronald Koeman’s new-look Everton side embark on their European adventure when welcoming Slovakian side Ruzomberok to Goodison Park on Thursday in the qualifying third round of the Europa League.

Set for an 8.05pm kick-off, ITV4 bring us all the action live, and you can spice up your viewing with a winning bet at Coral. Will one of the new recruits score first? Will Everton win to nil? Will it be a cricket score, as expected? Click here to have your say.

Koeman’s side to fight on all fronts

Few teams in European football have been as active as Everton during the summer transfer window, and no side has been more ambitious. Losing leading scorer Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United would’ve been a blow for most, but The Toffees board have been more than happy to reinvest all of the £75m back into the playing squad, and more on top.

Summer captures include returning hero Wayne Rooney, Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Michael Keane, Sandro Ramirez and Cuco Martina. Great work, but more is expected, and they recently had a £40m bid for Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson rejected. Koeman is building a side capable of improving on last season’s Premier League finish, while making a dent in the domestic cup competitions and Europa League.