Huge chance for Copenhagen!

Elias Achouri bursts free down the left, knocks it inside to 18-year-old Victor Froholdt and somehow the teenager knocks it the wrong side of the post from six yards.

The tie could have been dead and buried there.

Copenhagen are sitting very deep, allowing Kilmarnock to press them high and not looking particularly keen on keeping the ball.

They've just knocked it straight out of play. Rattled? Too early to say.

Cammy Bell
Former Kilmarnock goalkeeper on BBC Sportsound

Kilmarnock have gone for a high press, it can be dangerous but they're getting their rewards at times.

They've started well.

Back at Tynecastle, Viktoria Plzen boss Miroslav Koubek says it is "laughable" to think Hearts are a weak side despite their early-season struggles.

Steven Naismith's men are winless so far in all competitions this term, with four straight defeats following their goalless draw with Rangers on the Premiership opening day.

"A team that draws with Rangers in the Premiership, can they be a weak side? I think not," he said.

"I knew it would be a hard tie and that Hearts will be difficult opponents, so we play with the utmost respect. We definitely do not underestimate anyone.

"The suggestion that Hearts would be a weak side is laughable."

After a decent Kilmarnock start, they're handed a chance to get the ball into the box after a mistake from Denis Vavro.

Danny Armstrong tries to whip it into Kyle Vassell but it's headed away.

Still, a good start from the hosts.

Lee McCulloch
Former Kilmarnock manager on BBC Sportsound

Kilmarnock have made a pretty good start.

Copenhagen look like they don't want to play through their press.

Image source, SNS

Hibs boss David Gray, who travels to Kilmarnock with his side on Sunday, is on a scouting mission at Rugby Park this evening.

Image source, SNS

After a minute's silence for ex-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who died this week, we're off in Ayrshire.

A mountain to climb for Kilmarnock, but if they get the first goal...

Remember, we'll also be at Tynecastle a bit later.

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

The sun is shining down on Rugby Park and we're almost ready to go.

Taps aff galore in the away end.

Ex-Hearts and Czech Republic striker Roman Bednar believes the Tynecastle factor could be key for his former side this evening.

"It's always been a tough place for opposition to go," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

Kilmarnock need a fast start to boost their hopes of overcoming Copenhagen tonight, says former Rugby Park player and boss Gary Locke.

"It's going to be a tough night, Copenhagen have got a great history being a Champions League team, but if Kilmarnock turn up hopefully they can get a good result," Locke told BBC Radio Scotland.

"Derek's team talk will be 'we've got to come out of the traps, we have to come after them and score early doors'.

"If Killie can score early and get momentum - I'm not sure how the Copenhagen players will fancy playing on the surface at Rugby Park either - they'll be well in the tie."

"Miracles do happen" is the view of Paul Montgomery, of the Killie Forever and Ever Podcast, prior to this evening's second leg.

A comeback would be like "Elvis coming back, never mind Oasis," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast earlier.

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Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes tells BBC Scotland: "We've got to try and hang on to everything. We've been a strong team at home in my time here and we'll have to deliver a big performance.

"What we did well in Copenhagen is still required - discipline, making sure the game isn't too open, when we have the ball we need to land a few more blows.

"It's never a good position to be in - chasing a game against a team with real technical ability like Copenhagen. But by the same token, the first goal is vitally important.

"We need to plant a seed of doubt in the opponent and it would give us a huge shot in the arm. There is a big performance in us.

Image source, SNS

Steven Naismith makes five Hearts changes following the poor loss to Motherwell on Sunday.

Of course, injured Lawrence Shankland is one of them, plus Andres Salazar, Blair Spittal, Alan Forrest and Yan Dhanda also drop out.

In come James Penrice, Cammy Devlin, Kenneth Vargas, Jorge Grant and Liam Boyce.

The visitors have sold Czech international centre-back Robin Hranac to German club Hoffenheim since the first leg.

And Christophe Kabongo, Cheick Souare, Jan Sykora and Lukas Hejda are out with injuries.

Failure to navigate past Plzen tonight will drop Hearts down into the Conference League, but Craig Gordon is backing his side to progress and compete in Uefa's second-tier club competition.

"It doesn't matter what competition it is," the Scotland keeper said. "I think we can be confident of doing well, but we want to be in the biggest competition we possibly can."

Hearts: Gordon, Kent, Kingsley, Rowles, Taylor, Boateng, Devlin, Penrice, Grant, Vargas, Boyce.

Substitutes: Clark, Halkett, Oyegoke, McKay, Oda, Spittal, Forrest, Dhanda, Wilson, Pollock, Tait, Drammeh.

Viktoria Plzen: Tvrdon, Kopic, Havel, Dweh, Jemelka, Cadu, Sulc, Cerv, Kalvach, Sojka, Vasulin.

Substitutes: Wiegele, Jedlicka, Hejda, Sene, Paluska, Ricardinho, Vydra, Mosquera, Panos, Mika, Sloncik, Jirka.

Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland hasn't made it tonight. A big blow.

Full team news on the way from Tynecastle.

Both Kilmarnock and Hearts were on the road again on Sunday.

The Rugby Park side were up in Aberdeen and suffered a fifth defeat in eight games after going down to 10 men again.

Derek McInnes' side are also yet to score a league goal this term and sit bottom of the Premiership after three matches.

Hearts, meanwhile, were also left disappointed when they were outfought by Motherwell at Fir Park, suffering a fourth straight defeat.

Steven Naismith's men haven't won a game yet this season.

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes says his side must make Thursday's second leg Copenhagen's "biggest nightmare".

He also wants to make tonight "awful" for the Danish visitors. Fighting talk.

Copenhagen warmed up for their trip to Ayrshire with a 3-2 defeat at Nordsjælland on Sunday.

That was only the Danish side's first league loss of the season, but they do concede goals - they've shipped seven in six games in the Superliga.

Viktoria Plzen players, meanwhile, had their feet up with the weekend off.