Everton set their sights on Europa Cup

The Europa Cup presents Everton with their best chance of silverware this season and the club will embrace it in a way that other British clubs do not, their manager David Moyes declared yesterday.

His depleted side's 2-1 win over BATE Borisov, with Dan Gosling a makeshift right-back and Tony Hibbert filling in at centre-half, was a typically Evertonian effort in the face of injury adversity and the reward from Minsk is an excellent-looking Group One table, with AEK Athens' win against Benfica strengthening the ascendency of Moyes side. "The Europa League gives us a great chance to play some big clubs and some different teams, and get a real flavour of being in Europe," said Moyes, whose side entertain Stoke City tomorrow.

"It gives the players some great experience and when you look at it, potentially it might be an easier competition to progress in than any of the domestic ones in England. To win a trophy here [in England], you are probably going to have to beat two or three of the best teams in Europe, so it is very, very hard. Last year we got to the FA Cup final, but for us to have won that, we needed to beat four of the top six sides, so four of the best teams in Europe. That's a big ask. Europe is something that we are certainly prepared to approach properly, if we can."

Moyes will not be quite so depleted as he looks to build on five straight wins in which his side have scored 14 times. Lucas Neill may be fit to assume the right-back's spot tomorrow – though Johnny Heitinga will also scontest it. Midfielder Steven Pienaar should have recovered from the knee he bruised at Fratton Park in last weekend's win over Portsmouth and Moyes is hopeful that his central defender Joseph Yobo's hip scan will show all clear.