p-nitro toluene to p-nitro p2p?

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somewhere in organic synthesis ortho-nitrotoluene is condensed by potassium ethoxide with something to form ortho-nitrophenyl pyruvic acid or something. anyway the nitro group makes the hydrogens on the methyl group acidic enough to be protonated by the potassium ethoxide. i was wondering if para-nitro toluene could be condensed in the same way with ethyl acetate to form para-nitro p2p?