AEK keeper is ruled out of Hearts tie after car crash

AEK ATHENS goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino is out of Wednesday's Champions League showdown with Hearts after being hospitalised in a car crash yesterday morning.

The Italian, who performed so impressively in his side's 2-1 first-leg triumph at Murrayfield, collided with crash barriers after swerving to avoid a collision. He is not seriously hurt but could be absent for up to four weeks due to arm injuries sustained in the accident.

AEK's reserve goalkeeper Chiotis Dionisis will take his place against Hearts, giving Valdas Ivanauskas and John McGlynn a timely boost as they contemplate finding a way past a team that has lost just two home league goals since the turn of the year.

Upon being informed of Sorrentino's enforced absence, McGlynn said: "Anything that can make them a bit weaker has to be encouraging from our point of view. That sounds a bad blow obviously if he's in hospital but, if we are playing against a goalkeeper who is perhaps less confident, then we can pressure him early in the game.

"That's when mistakes can be made so we just have to try and cash in on it. We will need to test the other goalkeeper to see if he is any good or not, that means getting the ball into their box, creating chances and making it nervous for him."

Hearts may be forced to throw 19-year-old Calum Elliot into the white-hot heat of Athens' Olympic Stadium, where AEK opened their league campaign with a 0-0 draw against PAOK Salonika on Saturday. A foot injury sustained against Rangers on Saturday has all but ruled out Roman Bednar for Wednesday and Michal Pospisil's dead leg is also causing concern for the management team. "It doesn't look good for Roman at all and we will have to make a decision today on whether he travels," continued McGlynn. "It's not quite as bad as we first thought but it's the instep of his foot. That's a tender area and is causing a lot of pain.

"Michal looked to have got a very bad dead leg. It has improved a lot but whether it has improved enough for him to take part on Wednesday will, again, have to be decided later today. Our options are Jankauskas, Calum Elliot, Jamie Mole and Juho Makela."

Paul Hartley's groin came through unscathed against Rangers and he will travel to Greece. The midfielder could start the match in place of the suspended Bruno Aguiar despite the Hearts management recognising his inability to last 90 minutes yet.

Ivanauskas admits his side are entering the Champions League's last-chance saloon in Athens as they go after a place in the tournament's lucrative group phase.

The Lithuanian attempted to move on from the despondency of Saturday's defeat at Ibrox and contemplate the mammoth task of overhauling a 2-1 deficit against AEK. He said: "It will be difficult because every game is difficult; it's the Champions League and it's our last chance."

Taken from the Scotsman