WE'VE GOT ONE AEK OF A CHANCE

CHRISTOS KARIPIDIS last night wrapped up his Hearts switch and immediately set his sights on making the team he loves to beat suffer all over again.

The Jambos finally struck a deal with PAOK Salonika for a fee of around £200,000 but the former Greece Under-21 starlet reckons far greater riches await his new club.

Karipidis insists Hearts can reach the Champions League group stage by beating AEK Athens in their own backyard - a feat he managed to pull off all too often.

The centre-half was part of the PAOK team that entered the lion's den and left the hosts cowering in the corner after wins in the league and cup.

And Karipidis is adamant Hearts can do the same.

He said: "AEK are one of the biggest clubs in Greece but Hearts are one of the biggest in Scotland and they have a great chance of advancing to the Champions League group stage. AEK have a new manager in Lorenzo Serra Ferrer who came from Real Betis and he seems to have a good relationship with the players.

"In the past two years they have been playing consistent offensive football and been very successful in the Greek league.

"But in the past two years with PAOK we beat them at home.

"I also knocked them out of the Greek Cup so that is why I believe Hearts can win in Greece.

"If our performance is of a very high level then we will have a good chance of winning the tie in Athens and going into the group stage."

AEK's fans built up a fearsome reputation that struck fear into visiting teams and left foreign sides terrorised.

But since leaving their old Nikos Goumas home and moving to the Olympic Stadium, AEK supporters have cleaned up their act to match the club's shiny, new ground.

Gone are the Welcome to Hell banners that greeted British teams and Karipidis reckons Jambos - unlike Rangers in 1994 and Hibs in 2001 - have no need to fear their rivals now new AEK chairman Demis Nikolaidis has met the thugs head on.

The 23-year-old said: "The supporters of AEK are fanatical but they are not violent.

"AEK have a new chairman and the behaviour of the supporters has changed with his views.

"The club is very serious about how it conducts its business so Hearts supporters have nothing to fear in the Olympic Stadium.

"In fact, they will love the atmosphere in the stadium as around 40-50,000 fans will turn up.

"It will not be overcrowded and there would have probably been a hotter atmosphere in a smaller ground.

"I guess it's a similar situation with Hearts playing at Murrayfield and not Tynecastle."

Karipidis is just relieved he has been handed the opportunity of taking on his countrymen having admitted he feared his move would be scuppered at the last minute.

The Greek made the signing deadline by just nine hours and said: "I was a little bit scared the deal would not go through as the clubs have been speaking for two weeks. I had to talk to the owner a few times and plead with him to let me go to Hearts.

"They made an increased offer and with the financial problems that PAOK had they finally decided to let me go and get some money in to pay the other players. I am thrilled to be here."

Karipidis didn't need much persuasion to move to Tynecastle, not after speaking to countryman Takis Fyssas who gave the club and captain Steven Pressley glowing tributes.

He said: "I spoke to Takis about Hearts and he told me that last season was a great one.

"They finished second in the Scottish League in front of Rangers and won the Scottish Cup so that just made me all the more keen to join them.

"Takis also told me about Pressley, saying he is a real captain on and off the field.

"Takis said Pressley is always trying to sort out the players' problems and it will be an honour for me to play with this kind of player in this squad."

Karipidis was brought to Tynecastle to fill the void created by contract rebel Andy Webster.

Boss Valdas Ivanauskas is delighted to have on board a defender who he reckons will grab games by the scruff of their necks.

But the man himself was reluctant to spend half an hour listing his qualities. Instead, he said: "I don't like to discuss myself and what I can bring to Hearts.

"The manager and supporters will see me play soon enough and form their own judgments about me."

Ivanauskas, however, was only too happy to wax lyrical. He said: "Christos' best position is centre-half but he can also play at right-back.

"I spoke to Greece coach Otto Rehhagel and he told me he is a very good player.

"This is a good signing for us."

Taken from the Daily Record