VARD LUCK STORY HITS AEK’S HOPES

LEICESTER boss Brendan Rodgers has sent a chill down the spine of AEK Athens and their supporters.

Rodgers revealed Jamie Vardy has not only travelled to Greece for the Europa League clash – the striker is ready to start.

Last season’s Golden Boot winner is in electrifying goalscoring form yet again with all of his six goals coming away from home.

Vardy, 33, bagged two in the openingday win at West Brom and followed it with a hat- trick in the astonishing 5- 2 win at Manchester City.

He then came off the bench to score the winner in the 1- 0 win at Arsenal on Sunday.

Vardy ( below) had been recovering from a calf injury and the Greek camp must have been secretly hoping he could be rested.

Foxes boss Rodgers said: “The plan was to play him for 30 minutes at Arsenal. You see the dynamic changes when he’s on the field.

“He’s a worldclass striker who brings a different dimension to our game. He’s available and, yes, he’s available to start.”

Leicester suffered the disappointment of seeing a Champions League spot slip from their grasp on the last day of the season, but Rodgers added: “This is a very important competition.

“We’re very excited to be playing in it and we’re looking to get a positive result.”

Skipper Kasper Schmeichel said: “This is where we want to be. It’s been a while since our last European excursion.

“We’ve analysed AEK so we know what to expect. We’re looking forward to it.”

AEK boss Massimo Carrera said: “We’re playing against a top team. The way they played against Manchester City speaks for itself – but why can’t we be the ones celebrating?”