Hearts are aware of what the Europa League holds for them.
As he hopes to have both potential opponents under observation, Steven Naismith claims that Hearts will comprehend the demands of European action with continuous participation in continental competition.
The Tynecastle team found out on Monday that their Europa League adventures begin with a matchup against either Ukrainian team Kryvbas or Czech team Viktoria Plzen. After finishing as quarterfinalists in the Europa Conference League the previous season, Plzen is probably the favourite in the third round qualifier and would provide Hearts with tough competition in the play-off stage.
Nevertheless, after placing third in the Ukrainian Premier League, Kryvbas will be eager to establish themselves in the continent. The winner of the play-off tie advances to the Europa League’s league stage, while the loser moves down to the league’s equivalent, the Europa Conference League.
While Naismith promises that preparations will be made to bring players up to date on upcoming events, he also notes that scheduling domestic games with European competition will take precedence. He stated, “It’s two different teams,” to Hearts TV. Plzen performed incredibly well the previous year and was just in the Champions League.
They’ve got the expertise. Probably less well-known, as far as we are aware, are kryvbas. These games are going to be difficult. We’ll put in as much research as we can on them and devise a strategy to break the tie. There’s a thrill because you’ve worked so hard to get the draw, and now that we know it, we’re content and will see if we can pull it off.
“You become more at ease and aware of the demands as you spend more time in it. It will be better the more time you can spend competing in Europe. Since the European games are unique—they take place in the middle of the week, have packed houses, require travel to the away game—everyone is excited about them. There is intrigue. The fixtures that we actually need to be on it are the ones that are listed below.
Naismith also affirms that Hearts will seize the chance to watch their rivals if it presents itself. “We watch as much as we can, research their individual players’ styles, and if we can go watch them, we will get them watched,” he continued.
“We will look at the teams in the upcoming round tie, but we would like to do a little bit more than that. Although every game is unique, we will prepare in the same way for each one.
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