AEK stake it all on new greek gods

George Georgakopolous reports from Athens, where hopes are high that a win over Hearts will help pull the rebuilt side out of their current financial difficulties

Make-or-break time has come for AEK Athens, Hearts’ last hurdle before the Champions League group stage. Desperate to improve their finances, AEK see their possible entry to Europe’s showcase as their way out of the economic straits the club has slipped into over the past decade, coming close to bankruptcy.

Yet under the successful guidance of Demis Nikolaidis, the striker who quit the game to take over as president after winning the European Championships with Greece in 2004, AEK are again knocking on the door of the Champions League.

In the past they have made the group stages in three out of four attempts. Now, almost certainly against Hearts, AEK see themselves as having a 50% chance of advancing. “We have the vision of proceeding, but the qualifying round is open and very balanced, so I would say we begin with 50% chances,” said new AEK coach, Llorenc Serra Ferrer, after the draw on Friday.

AEK aim to develop a new style, adapted to the wishes of Ferrer, who joined AEK this summer in his first coaching job outside Spain. The former Betis and Barcelona manager has to make the eight (at least) new players gel with what is left of the squad that took AEK to the second spot in the Greek league last year, level on points with third-placed Panathinaikos and behind double-winners Olympiakos.

The club has welcomed Daniel Tozser from Ferencvaros, Perparim Hetemaj from Helsinki (both midfielders), defender Martin Pautasso from Independiente and four young Greeks, including Panayiotis Lagos, a midfielder from Iraklis who has also played for Greece.

The team’s midfield may well become much stronger, though, as Sam Dalla Bona, the former Chelsea and AC Milan player, has reportedly agreed to join AEK . If the agreement is sealed, Dalla Bona will be the third Italian in the AEK squad, next to goalkeeper Stefano Sorentino and central defender Bruno Cirillo.

Once the Dalla Bona signing is completed, he could be an apt replacement for key midfielder Costas Katsouranis, who followed his coach at AEK , Fernando Santos, to Benfica. The Greek international, another member of the Euro 2004-winning squad, was the backbone of the team in recent years .

Other AEK stars include ex-Roma defender Trianos Dellas, of Greece, and winger Vassilis Lakis, who had a stint at Crystal Palace.

What may boost the hopes of the Edinburgh club is that AEK are suffering from a lack of strikers, as two of them have just been sidelined due to injury. Costas Kabadais will probably not feature in the first leg, and Pantelis Kapetanos will miss some key training ahead of the first match, leaving Ferrer now with just two experienced strikers, Nikos Lymberopoulos and Julio Cesar.

It is obvious, then, that the front line is the Greeks’ weak spot, which is why the club has been trying to sign a striker for some time now, approaching several targets from South America.

AEK also worry they may be underprepared when they visit Hearts, while their opponents will have already played two games in Europe, not to mention the SPL.

Ferrer is trying to put on a brave face, saying : “This is not a disadvantage. It is a situation we have to live with, because in such matches there are no excuses. Our mentality should be strong, brave and solid. If we believe that others have an advantage then we have already lost.”

AEK use the Olympic Stadium of Athens as their home ground and that should be hospitable enough for the Hearts fans making the trip to Greece .

One thing that is in AEK’s favour is their recent history with Scottish clubs. In 1994 they ousted Rangers at the Champions League qualifying round stage and in 2001 they downed Hibernian in the first round of the Uefa Cup. When asked about this , Ferrer said he does not pay too much attention to it.

“These things do not count during the game and can easily change. If our history with Scottish clubs is positive, then let us hope we can carry it on,” the Spaniard said.

Taken from the Sunday Herald