Rotated Palermo on a roll

US Città di Palermo coach Luigi Del Neri is expected to continue his squad rotation policy when his side face FC Lokomotiv Moskva at the Stadio Renzo Barbera on Thursday, while the Russian visitors are hoping to bounce back from recent league setbacks.

Team changes
Palermo pair Michele Ferro and Leandro Rinaudo, who both played in the 2-1 victory away to Maccabi Petach-Tikva FC a fortnight ago, should start in defence while Paul Codrea replaces captain Eugenio Corini in midfield. Up front, Simone Pepe and Stephen Makinwa are expected to come in for Andrea Caracciolo and Franco Brienza.

'Play for three points'
Despite the changes, Argentinian winger Alberto Santana was quick to emphasise the significance of the fixture. "It's a very important game for us because we want to qualify and home games are crucial in the group stage," he said. "We know it won't be easy because the Russian side are eager to get points after losing their first game in the group [1-0 at home to RCD Espanyol on Matchday 1]. However, we will not calculate, we will play only for the three points as we always do."

Striker dilemma
Lokomotiv are still without Dmitri Sychev, out until the new year, while fellow forward Essau Kanyenda is also absent. This leaves coach Vladimir Eshtrekov with only three fit strikers - Igor Lebedenko, Francesco Ruopolo and 19-year-old Georgi Chelidze, who made his first-team debut last weekend. Captain Dmitri Loskov is not expected to feature after suffering a recurrence of his back injury, while defender Vadim Evseev faces two weeks out with a leg problem.

Domestic disappointment
With no wins in six league games, Lokomotiv's challenge for the Russian Premier-Liga title looks to be over. They will be desperate to continue their quest for silverware with a convincing UEFA Cup campaign but following their home defeat against Espanyol two weeks ago, must get back on track quickly if they are not to face an uphill struggle to reach the last 32.