AEK's Blanco out for Everton payback

AEK Athens FC's failure to defeat FC BATE Borisov at the OACA Spiros Louis Stadium on Matchday 4 has made their UEFA Europa League Group I encounter with Everton one which could define their season.

Domestic struggles
The 2-2 draw with the Belarussian titleholders means Dušan Bajević's squad will be eliminated should they lose to an Everton team who beat them 4-0 on Matchday 1. Twelve points off the pace in the Super League and out of the Greek Cup, the visit of the English outfit effectively represents a last chance for AEK to keep alive a season not yet at its halfway point.

Dry run
Part of their problem has been goals with normally prolific Argentinian striker, Ismael Blanco, hitting a dry spell. The league's top scorer in each of the last two seasons, contributing to a return of 45 goals in 64 matches prior to the start of this term, 'El Zorro Blanco' mustered just three in his opening 14 outings this time around. His luck finally started changing when he scored a penalty to earn a draw at Ergotelis FC on 1 November. Four days later he struck the opener against BATE after just 15 seconds.

Battling striker
"I'd been pretty sad about the ball not going in for me this season; everything was just squeezing past the post or rising over the bar," recalls the 26-year-old, who was on target again at home to Larissa FC on 9 November. "Family, friends and fans supported me so I remained calm and now I'm scoring again. Getting a goal after 15 seconds wasn't what I set out to do but you have to be ready to score at any time and I was switched on no matter that the game had barely started. I never expect the ball is going to drop sweetly for me. I've always been a fighter, I'm not ashamed of working hard. When I get home after every game I know I've been in a battle."

'Crucial' test
That battle recommences against surprise Premier League strugglers Everton, whose 2-0 derby defeat by Liverpool FC on Sunday left them with just one win in eleven games. "We still have a thorn in our side over the way they stuck so many goals past us," said Blanco. "It'll be a tough match – a final for us because we cannot lose – but the fact that it's an all-or-nothing game is because we lost a good opportunity to beat BATE at home. Our season hasn't gone well and sadly we are probably too far behind to win the league so going far in the Europa League is crucial to the fans and players."