Heart of Midlothian

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Ryan McGowan hopes the Tynecastle atmosphere can carry Hearts through to the Europa League proper as he admits "all the pressure" is on his former side after their narrow defeat in the first leg against Victoria Plzen.

Steven Naismith' side looked to have secured a goalless draw to give them the advantage coming back to Gorgie next Thursday, before conceding in the 97th minute.

It leaves Hearts with the task of "breaking their opposition down", something the former Jambos defender says "Scottish sides struggle with".

Still, McGowan was left surprised and somewhat unimpressed by the Czech side.

"I didn't think they were as good as I was expecting them to be," the Livingston man said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I don't know if it was an off night or if it was that's just kind of how they are, so I think Hearts will be pretty disappointed having kept it 0-0 for so long. They would have fancied their chances of at least scoring at Tynecastle, whereas now they have to and I think that's where some Scottish sides struggle.

"Over the two legs they can sometimes get that 0-0 or 1-0 defeat, but they kind of struggle when they need to break teams down and I feel next week the opposition will come to Tynecastle and be really organised and hard to beat.

"All the pressure will be on Hearts to try and go out there and get that victory, but I think there were enough signs there last night for Hearts to know that it will be a totally different game next week at Tynecastle."

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Hearts head coach Steven Naismith: "Commitment, attitude, discipline, belief. It was all there. It's a blow when you lose a goal so late but we knew it would be a tight tie. It'll be tight next week.

"It's European football, you need to stay disciplined at times then be brave on the ball.

"I didn't think we did that to start with, we were a wee bit safe. We became a bit braver, our structure was good and we caused them problems in possession.

"We've got to use that home advantage next week.

"There are lots of positives. We're disappointed because nothing each gives you a slight advantage going into the second leg.

"But we know what Tynecastle can be like on a European night - we'll need that. And we need to make sure when we've got the ball we create more chances like we did tonight."

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Thomas Duncan, BBC Sport Scotland

Hearts pitched up in the Czech Republic winless in their opening three games and on the back of a stinging League Cup exit at the hands of second-tier Falkirk.

Criticism swirled about too much rotation, and too much tactical tweaking.

Undeterred, Naismith made five changes and reverted to a back three again and, after riding an early storm in which Plzen stroked the ball about, Hearts settled.

The returning Frankie Kent was excellent in defence, and the midfield of Malachi Boateng, Cammy Devlin and Jorge Grant started to get on the ball and find gaps.

Kenneth Vargas got into great positions, but never found the required composure to grab an all-important goal.

Overall, it was promising against a side who had only lost to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich at home in Europe since 2017.

Plzen had also only conceded one goal in their five league games so far this season.

That makes Daniel Oyegoke's lapse all the more frustrating as Plzen's visible alarm at the 0-0 scoreline told you how much they wanted to take a lead to Edinburgh.

Now they have it they will feel confident, but with Tynecastle behind them and having seen their opponents close up, Hearts will not shirk the challenge next week.

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Steven Naismith has made five changes to the Hearts side that slumped to a shock League Cup defeat to Falkirk to take on Viktoria Plzen.

Lawrence Shankland returns to the XI, along with Frankie Kent, Kye Rowles, Jorge Grant and Cammy Devlin.

Craig Halkett, Balir Spittal, Yutaro Oda, Liam Boyce and Yan Dhanda are the five coming out of the team.

Craig Gordon continues in goal and makes a record-breaking European appearance for Heart.

Fellow keeper Zander Clark, meanwhile, misses out altogether after a back spasm.

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Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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The town of Plzen is probably better known for its beer than its football team and there is no doubt the Hearts fans here in the south west of the Czech Republic are making themselves well acquainted with the amber liquid.

Around 650 supporters have made the journey from Edinburgh to Plzen which is an achievement in itself, coming via rail, road and air to cheer their team on in what will undoubtedly be a difficult test.

European football for fans is the icing on the cake and in the last few years Hearts supporters have had the fortune to have journeys to Norway, Switzerland, Latvia, Italy and Turkey to enjoy.

At times the results have gone against them but these fans often arrive in these places with more hope than expectation.

The task against Plzen may be similar to their qualifying tie against Rosenborg last season where after a narrow defeat in the away match, Hearts turned it round at Tynecastle.

If something of that ilk can happen again then those same supporters will be looking out for next Friday's Europa League draw to see which destinations await them next.

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Former Hearts midfielder Ryan Stevenson says Steven Naismith's side simply have to improve if they are to take a positive result from the first leg of their Europa League play-off against Viktoria Plzen.

The Tynecastle side have lost to Dundee in the league and Falkirk in the League Cup in their last two outings as part of a sluggish start to the new season, and Stevenson believes their hopes in the Czech Republic lie largely with their captain Lawrence Shankland.

"I still think we're in a situation at Hearts where Lawrence has to play every game if he's fit, or he's 80% fit," said Stevenson on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"He has to play because we rely so heavily on him to score goals. Hopefully he can play tonight, the team can play well and they can get a good result.

"The performances need to become a lot, lot better than what they have been in the last two matches.

"My head says it's going to be very, very difficult but my heart is just hoping that we get half a chance, hopefully it falls to Lawrence and we can take it, or one of the boys who have been scoring.

"If we can just put in a good performance, the fans will be happy if they see that more than anything but hopefully if Lawrence gets half a chance, we can nick something."

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Cammy Devlin says there is no better time for Hearts to kickstart their season than away to Viktoria Plzen in the first leg of their Europa League play-off.

Steven Naismith's side are in the Czech Republic looking for their first win in any competition, following a goalless draw against Rangers and defeats to Dundee and Falkirk.

Hearts missed out on European competition proper last season after a Conference League play-off defeat to PAOK. They will not suffer the same fate this time around though, with Conference League football on offer should they miss out on the Europa League, and Devlin is relishing the prospect of being back in Europe.

"This is what we work so hard for - to be in these European ties," the Australia midfielder said.

"Every game you have is the next opportunity to rally. It's been disappointing and we didn’t want to start the season this way but this is a completely different game to when we play in Scotland.

"[Viktoria Plzen] are a massive club. They have done well in Europe in recent years. That's something we are well aware of. I’m not sure who the pressure is on tomorrow.

"We just want to stick to our game plan and get back to what we can do and obviously the coaches have showed us clips of how we can hurt them and how they can hurt us.

"We just have to prevent that. It’s going to be a really tough challenge."

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

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Craig Gordon will make history for Hearts should he play against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday night.

It would be the goalkeeper's 23rd European appearance for Hearts, surpassing Steven Pressley and Henry Smith's record of 22.

Gordon, 41, has racked up 85 European appearances in total, making his first in a 1-0 away win in the Uefa Cup against Bordeaux back in November 2003.

Striker Lawrence Shankland could also write his name into the history books on Thursday.

A Shankland goal would take put him level with John Robertson as Hearts' top European scorer on seven.

• All 12 Premiership sides provided a total of 15,101 minutes to Scottish players aged under 21 in the 2023-24 season.

• Those minutes average out to just 1,258 per club, which is the equivalent of only 14 full 90-minute matches.

• Six teams failed to reach a total above 700 minutes.

• Celtic and Rangers were the worst offenders in the division, with Celtic managing just 89 minutes all in, while Rangers' total was even lower at only 26.

Brian McLauchlin in Plzen
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Steven Naismith has urged Hearts to draw on the experience of last year's victory over Rosenborg as they look to make it past Viktoria Plzen and reach the Europa League.

The Gorgie men lost the away leg 2-1 before triumphing 3-1 at Tynecastle to book a place in the Conference League play-offs 12 months ago.

As Hearts prepare for Thursday's first leg with Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic, Naismith said: "I think it will be a great atmosphere. We need to enjoy it but two we want to embrace the challenge of reaching the Europa League. Thats what we want to achieve.

"There are a lot of similarities to the Rosenborg tie. A very good team with good young players and some experience. Thursday is going to be the same.

"In those two legs we showed we were capable. We didn’t cover ourselves in glory with our defending but we hung in the tie and that's valuable to understand.

"The game on Thursday will ebb and flow. We will be under pressure but we will get chances. None of that will define the tie if we fully focus.

"If we can get out of here with a really good performance and edging the tie it sets it up for next week.”

Brian McLauchlin in Plzen
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Steven Naismith has been speaking to the media before Hearts' Europa League play-off first leg at Viktoria Plzen on Thursday.

Here are the key points:

• Naismith says Hearts' last two performances have been below standard and they are bitterly disappointed with the cup loss to Falkirk but want to "make that right" on Thursday.

• He adds: “I think it is magnified because it's the cup and it was that first opportunity to get our hands on silverware. Last year we worked really hard to get in this position."

• New players are still adjusting to the team and Naismith says he will have to "freshen" his line-up with four games in the next two weeks.

• Hearts need to improve their defending and show better finishing than they did at Falkirk.

• "Tough team" Plzen take risks with their press and have "really dangerous" attacking players. The Hearts boss adds: "They have young players who are going to be big talents in the coming years."

• Hearts must "embrace the challenge" of trying to reach the Europa League.

• If the players can't be up for a European game like this "there is no point in being here".

• Expectation is this tie will be similar to facing Rosenborg last year.

• Frankie Kent has travelled and is fit to play.

A lack of first-team action given to youngsters in the Premiership backs up the Scottish FA's assertion that Scotland is not bringing through enough emerging talent.

Just three of the 12 top-flight teams are able to say they provided over 2,000 minutes to Scots aged under 21 across last season's pre-split fixtures.

Dundee sit top of the 2023-24 table with 3,538, but a large chunk of that was clocked up by the one player - Lyall Cameron.

The same applies to the three next best clubs on the chart, Aberdeen (Connor Barron), Kilmarnock (David Watson) and Motherwell (Lennon Miller).

At the bottom of the table are both Old Firm clubs, with the pair posting concerning figures - Celtic just 89 minutes and Rangers only 26.

The report uses Hungary's top flight - a 12-team league - as a direct comparison. It shows Honved provided 6,544 minutes to Hungarian under-21 players, PAFC reached more than 5,000 and two more clubs achieved over 3,000.

Click here to read more on how Scottish football is failing young players.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

The loss at Falkirk at the weekend has prompted criticism of Steven Naismith and his squad. And it’s more than justified after failing to dispose of a team from a lower division.

That said, praise must go to Falkirk as they capitalised in the second half after enduring sustained pressure from Hearts in the opening period when a place in the last eight would have been secured had the strikers shown more composure.

Now it’s on to the Czech Republic and a visit to Plzen for a very tough test in the quest to reach the Europa League.

Over the past few years Viktoria Plzen have become a real force in Czech football and last season reached the last eight of the Conference League, only succumbing to eventual runners-up Fiorentina in extra time.

Naismith will have done his homework on Plzen and analysed their strengths where Hearts will need to be careful and weaknesses where they can be exploited.

The good news is Frankie Kent trained on Wednesday morning before boarding the flight.

A win in this tie would allow Hearts access to the new format of the Europa League with a guarantee of eight matches for the fans to enjoy.

Can the team return to Scotland with a result that sets them up nicely for a rip-roaring second leg at Tynecastle next Thursday?

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Clubs in Scotland are failing to bring through enough young players, a report, external by the Scottish FA has said.

The governing body says Scottish football is "significantly underachieving its potential" in youth development compared to countries of a similar size.

Using a range of data to compare leagues across Europe, it shows players under the age of 21 in Scotland are playing fewer minutes in the top-flight than countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Croatia.

Meanwhile, game time for young Scottish players in major European club competitions ranks below countries with smaller populations and fewer resources, such as Montenegro and North Macedonia.

It also stresses clubs are missing an opportunity to reduce wage costs and increase transfer revenue by developing their own players.

The report was commissioned by the SFA's professional game board at the end of 2023, and a working party comprised of SPFL and SFA representatives will now consider its findings.

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Ex-Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal says a pacey counter-attack approach could be the key to success for his former side away to Viktoria Plzen.

Following a draw with Rangers and disappointing back-to-back defeats to Dundee and second-tier Falkirk, Steven Naismith's men travel to the Czech Republic on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League play-off.

Meanwhile, Plzen have started their campaign with six wins and a draw from their opening seven games.

The Czech side also boast an impressive European record in recent times, having reached the last eight of the Conference League last term.

But Zlamal, who played for Hearts between 2018 and 2021, feels a lack of pace in the Plzen team could leave them vulnerable.

"The key for Hearts is the counter-attacks," the Czech keeper told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The Plzen defenders, and especially the midfielders and wing-backs, they are not fast and I know Hearts have fast wingers.

"So I think it is key for Hearts that they have an active compact block and when they get the ball, get it straight to wingers."

On the atmosphere Hearts and their travelling fans can expect, Zlamal added: "It will be great because it's a really crucial match for Plzen and also for Hearts."

Former striker Lee Miller, who turned out for Dundee United, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock among others, recounts his experiences of being on the move on transfer deadline day during his playing career.

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Hearts "can right the things that are wrong and bring back a bit of a feel-good factor" in Thursday's Europa League play-off first leg with Viktoria Plzen, says defender Stephen Kingsley. (Record), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

Success in the League Cup and Hearts go as well together as taking a drink of orange juice immediately after brushing your teeth.

Last Saturday evening, it was Jambos who were left with a bitter aftertaste following our shock exit at lower-league Falkirk.

If you believed some of my fellow supporters' posts on social media in the aftermath, you'd believe our prospects this season have gone down the tubes following a second straight defeat in all competitions.

Questions need to be asked, of course, as to how we found ourselves omitted from the quarter-final cup draw, but I'm intrigued as to why a lot of fans attribute the defeat solely to Steven Naismith.

It’s argued he made far too many changes - eight in total - from the defeat in Dundee and was deploying players in the wrong positions, stifling their abilities.

The biggest talking point was Lawrence Shankland resting on the bench, with Thursday’s Europa League qualifier in mind.

But even without Shankland, Hearts should have been at least a couple of goals to the good in the first 15 minutes alone.

I've debated with a few people who say Shankland would have taken at least one of those chances and there is a probability he would have, but I feel that's an indictment on the rest of our team.

Despite some mudslinging from prominent Jambos who work in the media towards Naismith, I think fingers should be pointed at the players.

That second-half showing after being one goal down was poor and substitutions were made, but ultimately we weren’t good enough.

For me, there are players either lacking in confidence or perhaps are overconfident in their abilities following a promising showing in the first game against Rangers.

There's no better opportunity to bounce back with a European game away to Viktoria Plzen to galvanize the support. It’s a tricky tie given their recent pedigree in continental competition.

But the fact we have the second leg at home at Tynecastle next week could be the deciding factor and there’s no doubt we will use the experience from Rosenborg last season.

To paraphrase Limmy, "They've turned The Bairns against us".

Hearts' League Cup exit to Falkirk on Saturday was a last-16 upset, but just the latest episode of Jambo misery when the sides collide in cup competitions.

The bogey run began with a 4-0 spanking at Brockville in the Scottish Cup third round back in January 2023 as Hearts fell victim to the then second-tier Bairns.

The Tynecastle side triumphed 2-1 in a League Cup meeting between the sides later that year, but suffered another Scottish Cup humbling with a 1-0 home defeat in 2009.

Falkirk edged a seven-goal League Cup thriller the following year after Hearts' Craig Thomson was shown an early red card, before Hearts secured a 1-0 victory with a Sean Clare penalty on their run to the 2020 Scottish Cup final.

After the latest mishap, can Steven Naismith's side bounce back with an upset of their own against Viktoria Plzen in Thursday's Europa League play-off first leg?

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Recent form: Viktoria Plzen warmed up for their Europa League play-off first leg at home to Hearts with a comfortable 3-0 win away to Ceske Budejovice. That result extended their unbeaten start to their league campaign and they sit second with 13 points, two points off 100%-record boasting Sparta Prague.

That form was replicated in their third qualifying round tie with Ukraine's Kryvbas. Miroslav Koubek's side won 2-1 in their away leg and followed that up with a 1-0 home victory.

European pedigree: Plzen are less experienced in continental terms than either Sparta or Slavia Prague but most of their games in Uefa competitions have come in the past 14 years.

Group stage campaigns in the Champions League and Conference League over the past two years have brought contrasting fortunes. They lost all six games in the premier competition in season 2022-23 but won six out of six in their Conference League group last term.

They reached the quarter-finals and only lost to Fiorentina after extra time. Other opponents last season included Servette, who they beat on penalties in the round of 16, and group opponents Astana, Ballkani and Dynamo Zagreb.

Dangermen: Czech Republic attacker Pavel Sulc and Daniel Vasulin are Plzen's top scorers, each with three goals from seven appearances. Two of Vasulin's goals came in the Kryvbas tie.

Slovakia international midfielder Erik Jirka has also provided a couple of goals but Brazilian Ricardinho, a summer signing from Levski Sofia, is yet to get off the mark.

Like Sulc, Lukas Cerv and Robin Hranac were part of the Czech Republic's Euro 2024 squad.