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A huge travelling army of Everton supporters are set to descend on Lille for their club’s Europa League tie on Thursday.

Current estimates predict that a whopping 8-10,000 Blues will make the 320-mile trip to France to roar on Roberto Martinez’s men in their Group H clash at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

The Blues confirmed last week that they had sold all of their 5,274 allocation, but thousands more without tickets are expected to travel despite warnings to stay at home.

Everton can put themselves in pole position to reach the group stages of the competition by getting a result against the Ligue One outfit, and it seems none of the club’s supporters want to miss out.

Dave Bennett, 29, is a Goodison season-ticket holder and panellist on Radio City’s Blue Room show. He is making the journey with 10 of his pals and reckons it could be one to live long in the memory.

He said: “I don’t know anyone that’s not going. Certainly everyone I know from the match and going to the games over the years is going.

“It could be a European away day to rival Nuremburg (in 2007). That came after the opening away game of the Uefa Cup that season which was in Kharkiv in Ukraine which, like Krasnodar this time, was a headache to get to.

“So Nuremburg was the big chance for the fans to go to and this time it’s Lille.

“I reckon Lille might even eclipse that for the amount of fans who turn up. I can’t wait. These are the trips you live for if you are a football fan.”

Dave says he can’t wait to sample the atmosphere of Lille’s main square, where he reckons the congregated hoards of Blues will be in fine vice throughout Wednesday and Thursday.

“I’m sure it will be fun and everyone will be in high spirits,” he said. “Half way through the day someone will probably have put washing powder in the fountain and the local bars will have run out of ale.”

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