Match Previews

Aiming to preserve top spot and perfect record in the group ... Unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions ... Osman (r)(mid) ruled out for six weeks and joins Baines (r)(def) and Stubbs (sp)(def) on the sidelines; Neville (r)(mid) out with a knock ... Five of the key players left at home .. Everton travel to AZ Alkmaar on Thursday aiming to keep their perfect run in the UEFA Cup group and finish it on a high. David Moyes' men managed to grind out a narrow 1:0 victory over Russian champions Zenit a fortnight ago and thus secured their place in the knockout stage of the competition. They are now looking to at least avoid defeat at Alkmaar and thus keep the top spot on the group that will guarantee an easier opposition in the last 32. The manager looks likely to give some of his stars a much-needed rest as they have been performing superbly in the last few weeks on three fronts and are exhausted. The Toffees managed back-to-back wins at Upton Park in the space of four days as they first defeated West Ham 2:1 in a Carling Cup quarter-final and then beat the Hammers 2:0 in a league game. That win saw them move up to the top six for a first time since August and prolonged their unbeaten run in all competitions to 12 games. Moyes' men are definitely in superb form and the manager will want to see another solid display by them to keep the run going. Thomas Gravesen (sp) looks set for a starting role on Thursday according to the manager after the injury of Leon Osman left a gap in midfield. Osman has been superb as a central midfielder in the last couple of months but broke a bone in his foot a week ago at West Ham. He played during the weekend but after that it was revealed that he will need about six weeks to recover. This is surely a blow for the manager who will be forced into reshuffling his winning line-up but on the other hand is a chance for players like Gravesen, largely on the fringes since joining from Celtic on loan, to stake their claim for a starting slot. Tony Hibbert (sp) and James McFadden (sp) are set be handed a chance as well along with Nuno Valente (sp) who should start at the left-back. Andrew Johnson (sp) looked sharp on Saturday when he came off the bench to score one of the goals and is now a favourite to start up front. Meanwhile, apart from Osman, the manager is also without Leighton Baines and Alan Stubbs who need more time to get over their calf injuries. Phil Neville was also ruled out after picking a knock in training. Meanwhile, Moyes drafted plenty of youngsters into the squad after leaving five of the senior players in Liverpool. Tim Howard (r), Tim Cahill (k), Mikel Arteta (k), Yakubu Aiygbeni (k) and Joseph Yobo (r) were all rested and will not play a part.