Know Your Minnows: AE Larisa

By: Ian Rose | September 2nd, 2007

With the UEFA Cup first round approaching, and my European vacation (’Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament’) coming to an end, it’s time to resurrect possibly my favorite column in the short history of the blog, with the fifth edition of “Know Your Minnows”. This time, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Athlitiki Enosi Larisas 1964. If you’re into the whole brevity thing, you can just call them AE Larisa. This should be especially interesting for Blackburn Rovers fans, since Larisa will face Rovers in the UEFA Cup first round, for a spot in the group stage.

Like so many great clubs throughout the world of football, Larisa was formed by the union of smaller clubs. In 1964, four clubs, Iraklis Larisas, Aris Larisas, Toxotis Larisas and Larisaikos, from the Thessaly region of Greece united to form a powerful new club that rose through the ranks and into the first division within a decade. They were champions of Greece in 1988, which led them to the European Cup. Their foray into Europe, though, was short-lived, and they were eliminated on penalties by Neuchâtel Xamax of Switzerland.

The late years of the twentieth century were not kind to Larisa and its fans, though. By 2000, they were languishing in the Third Division and had gone through bankruptcy. But they won the Third Division in 2004 and the Second in 2005 for a quick return to Greece’s top flight. 2007 saw their comeback completed as they took home the Greek Cup, their first domestic hardware in 22 years. With it came a berth in this year’s UEFA Cup, and a tough draw against Rovers.

So, what can Rovers expect from Larisa? Up front, the danger man is unquestionably Josef Kozlej, who opened the scoring in last year’s Cup win. Kozlej is a little inconsistent, but he has a tendency to surprise his opponents with sudden moves and a killer strike. The other attacking threat is Ibrahima Bakayoko, the Ivory Coast international with appearances and goals for Everton, Marseilles and Osasuna. He’s a recent acquisition, and has struggled for the past few seasons, but he may still have a few goals up his sleeve. On defense, Larisa has one of the best back lines in Greece, built around Nikos Dabizas and Stylianos Venetidis, both of which were on Greece’s Euro 2004-winning squad. The squad has also been strengthened lately by a few Argentinians in the midfield, so may well be faster than last year’s Cup team.

I don’t rate Larisa in the same league as Rovers, but Blackburn will have to be wary. As Panathaikos found out in last season’s Greek Cup, this is a team that can be very tough in a one-off, and will take advantage of mistakes. Rovers fans shouldn’t look for another 3-0 aggregate like they got against MyPa. I’d predict 1-0 to Rovers at home and 1-1 in Greece for a tough win.