Rosenborg v Hearts: Norwegians await as visitors pursue group stage return
- Published
Rosenborg were take to extra time before overcoming Crusaders
Europa Conference League qualifying: Rosenborg v Hearts |
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Venue: Lerkendal Stadion, Trondheim Date: Thursday, 10 August Kick-off: 18:00 BST |
Coverage: Follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app |
The run of six defeats in seven between February and April that cost Robbie Neilson his job and ultimately led to Hearts ceding third place to Aberdeen comes home to roost this week.
It means that, instead of being assured at least a place in the Europa Conference League group, Hearts have to negotiate four tough matches to earn the same reward, beginning with the trip to Trondheim to face Rosenborg.
Beyond that lies a play-off with either Hajduk Split or PAOK, so it's little wonder Hearts' CEO Andrew McKinlay underlined the importance of finishing third in the Scottish Premiership in the wake of Neilson's dismissal.
The "five or six million pounds" in additional turnover that comes from group stage participation is a huge deal. Hearts benefited from that last season, but will have to work much harder for their money at the start of this campaign.
It is certainly not beyond them and the experience of last season should stand them in good stead, despite recording only two wins - both against the Latvians RFS - from the eight ties they played.
Their summer recruitment may have begun slowly but the squad is beginning to look stronger as Steven Naismith and Frankie McAvoy gear up for another tilt at third, domestic silverware and, of course, European group stage qualification.
From the weekend's evidence, the loan signing of Alex Lowry from Rangers could be one of their most astute acquisitions.
Although recent signings Kenneth Vargas, Calem Nieuwenhof and Kyosuke Tagawa will not be involved in this tie, Frankie Kent is likely to feature while the return of Beni Baningime and Liam Boyce is a massive fillip.
Rosenborg improving after manager sacking
They face Norwegian opponents whose European track record and one-time domestic dominance lends them an aura that on closer inspection is no longer warranted.
With respect to Crusaders of Northern Ireland, the difficulty Rosenborg encountered in eventually dispatching them after extra time in the previous round gives you a better idea of where they stand currently.
Eighth in the Eliteserien after 18 games, they too have changed manager after a poor run - installing Svein Maalen.
He has filled many roles at the club, including that of video analyst and head of coach development, but also won manager of the year for taking newly-promoted Ranheim to seventh in the league back in 2018.
There are signs he is turning things around. Including those matches against Crusaders, Rosenborg are unbeaten in six and at the weekend made it four league wins on the bounce by coming from behind to beat Haugesund 2-1.
Nevertheless, they are nowhere near the level of the side that faced Celtic six times in little over a year (losing four and drawing two) in 2017 and 2018, off the back of four straight league titles.
That is not to say they do not have talented players. Carlo Holse is a quick-witted and nimble attacking midfielder who scored a fine goal in the first leg against Crusaders, while Hearts will hope Ole Saeter misses out.
The forward has five goals from eight games this season - having missed the start of the campaign through injury - including a penalty against Crusaders but was not involved at the weekend.
Just one clean sheet in 10 suggests they can be vulnerable at the back and they are by no means imperious at home, already having lost four of their 10 games at the Lerkendal Stadion this season.
So Hearts should be travelling in cautiously optimistic mood.
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