Heart of Midlothian

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Hearts will view Sunday's visit to Celtic Park as "a great opportunity" to avenge last season's disappointment of losing the final game - and the Scottish title - to the reigning champions, former Tynecastle striker Connor Sammon has suggested.

Celtic ended a run of three defeats with a convincing win in Motherwell on Sunday, but they were brought back down to earth with Thursday's 4-1 Europa League defeat by Benfica.

Sammon points out that the Portuguese "are a top-class outfit" and nobody will be surprised at the result but has no doubt travelling to Lisbon will have an impact.

At the same time, Hearts were drawing 1-1 at home to Nordsjaelland in the Conference League and would "be disappointed" to have conceded a late equaliser.

"You think of the last time the two teams faced each other at Parkhead and the drama that happened on that occasion, so this is a good test of where Hearts are under Wouter Vrancken," Sammon suggested on the BBC Scottish Football Podcast.

"I think they're the top scorers in the league just now - attacking threats from Josh McPake, Calvin Miller, Claudo Braga, they've got goals throughout the team."

Sammon pointed out that, despite the win over Motherwell, there "is a real worry" among Celtic fans about the club's direction and there was uncertainty over whether Martin O'Neill would continue as manager after the international break.

"It's a real testing time for them just now and, without a doubt, if you're a Hearts player going into that game, you're thinking to yourself, you know, we've got a great opportunity here," he said, stressing Celtic's defensive fragility.

However, despite all that, Sammon is still predicting a 3-1 win for the hosts on Sunday.

Hearts fans, we asked for your views on your side's 1-1 Conference League draw with Nordsjaelland.

Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Campbell: Hearts had the chances to win this match, but to be fair a draw reflected the game pretty well.

Jim: The game was there for winning the last 15 mins, and at the start of the second half we looked lost in midfield, subs should have been on 10 mins from the end to help the midfield out

Chris: Gutted not to get the three points, but we watched them play football the second half and got punished for it.

The triple substitution at the end was needed five minutes before, as it was obvious they were pushing hard for a goal. Frustrating.

Steve: Chucking away three points to a deflected goal sums us up, we were not in it the second half at all. How they escaped a red card, I'll never know - not a situation we would have escaped, I can assure you.

Alison: Too many missed chances and a disjointed second half means we can't complain about not getting the three points, but it's infuriating that it's individual errors causing our own downfall.

Thought the referee started well and nose-dived as the game went on. Penalty and red card missed, with one-sided yellow cards didn't help in the slightest. Gutted.

Eric: Inexperience played its part in the final result, you could feel the nerves within the last 20 minutes, and we badly needed substitutions earlier - a real issue for the manager is the speed of making changes.

Another unfortunate goal to concede, and I just wish we could get a little bit of luck for once in Europe!

Christopher: I thought we were fantastic in the first half and passive in the second. The manager complained about the energy the subs brought - he made the changes 10 minutes too late.

It's done now. We didn't lose, and we now need to prepare for a trip over to Glasgow.

David: Disappointing not to see it through. I see Vrancken is bemoaning the lack of energy from the subs, but I think he left it a bit late for them to affect the game. By the time most came on, we had finally conceded. Some sensational forward play again... but we need a goalscorer.

Hearts suffered crushing late disappointment in the opening game of their Conference League campaign as Nordsjaelland snatched a point at Tynecastle.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say on the game here.

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Nordsjaelland head coach Jens Olsen has admired Hearts' progress from afar but sees "a potential" for an away win as the Danes target progress to the knock-out stages of European competition for the first time.

The 51-year-old is giving "the needed respect to Hearts" for Thursday's Conference League opener in Edinburgh but is not content with just being "proud" to lead his side to a group stage for only the third time.

"I think it was 10 years ago or something, we've been in the Champions League group stage without winning," he said. "I think we got one point.

"Then we were in the Conference League group stage three years ago, having 10 points in the group with four teams but didn't promote. So of course we want to break that wall down this time and try to play European football after New Year."

Nevertheless, Olsen recognised Hearts' good recent form.

"I have seen a lot of the games recently," he said. "A great season last year, changing the coach and also selling a few players, but I think they started well, and the new coach is trying to build some layer on the style of play. I think it's an interesting place that Hearts are in at the moment."

Olsen recognised the threat from the "front four" of Claudio Braga, James Wilson and wingers Josh McPake and Calvin Miller.

However, he was particularly impressed with right-back Jordi Altena.

"Good dynamic player, can defend and can also overtake the wingers' position on the side," said Olsen, who said he had a difficult job balancing the need to win, selling young talent and trying to play "beautiful football".

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Former Hearts midfielder Ryan McGowan reckons Nordsjaelland could use the Tynecastle atmosphere to their advantage in their Conference League opener.

Jens Olsen's side currently sit fourth in Denmark's Superliga and are renowned for their youth development and recruitment model.

McGowan believes that their current form, coupled with many of their players having lofty ambitions for their own careers, could see them settle into the game swiftly and savour the Gorgie atmosphere.

"I think it is an amazing place to play football," McGowan said on BBC Scotland's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I think, especially as a Hearts player, it can give you that extra energy, and that can give you the confidence and just everything.

"It's really, really good stadium atmosphere, a cauldron to play in, but at the same time for really, really good players they really like it as well.

"If you're a really, really top European player or wanting to reach that top, going to Tynecastle, you're just thinking this is a proper stadium; this is what gets your juices flowing in terms of I wanted to do that, and a little bit of my worry is that a lot of these players tonight for Nordsjaelland will be thinking, this is really up my street.

"They won't be affected by it, as much as maybe the likes of players in Scotland, for example, or for smaller clubs in Europe that are coming over.

"I just have a feeling that a lot of these players tonight will be thinking, yeah, I'm right up for this, I really enjoy this atmosphere."

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• Since a 6-1 thrashing away to Benfica in Europa League qualifying, Hearts have lost just once in 12 outings.

• Since beating Swiss side St Gallen to qualify for the Conference League, Nordsjaelland have won three of their eight games.

• Since losing 2-0 to Sturm Graz in Champions League qualifying, Hearts are unbeaten in seven home games and thrashed St Mirren 5-0 on Saturday to sit third in the Premiership.

• Nordsjaelland drew 0-0 at home to ninth-placed OB on Friday to sit fourth in the Danish Superliga, six points behind leaders Copenhagen.

• Hearts last reached the Conference League two years ago, when they finished 25th.

• Nordsjaelland last played in the Conference League three years ago, finishing third in their group behind Fenerbahce and Ludogorets Razgrad despite thrashing the Bulgarians 7-1 at home.

• Hearts only played Danish opposition once previously - two years ago, when they lost 2-0 away to Copenhagen in the Conference League.

• Nordsjaelland have played Scottish opposition once previously, beating Queen of the South 2-0 away and 5-0 at home in Uefa Cup qualifying in 2008.

• Hearts' best European performance came in the Uefa Cup in 1989, when they reached the quarter-finals before losing to Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate.

• Nordsjaelland's European high point was reaching the Champions League in 2012, when they finished fourth in a group won by Juventus and in which Chelsea finished third.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts winger Calvin Miller has described his side's hectic schedule over the coming weeks as "nuts" but says it is a challenge he is relishing.

The Tynecastle club begin their Conference League campaign at home to Danish side Nordsjaelland on Thursday before travelling to Glasgow for a Scottish Premiership match with Celtic on Sunday.

Hearts face a demanding run of fixtures, with eight games in the space of 23 days as they juggle domestic and European commitments.

Miller, who joined Hearts in the summer after three seasons at Falkirk, has scored six goals this season, including one in the Conference League play-off victory over Rapid Vienna in August.

The 28-year-old believes the schedule will require the whole squad to be ready to contribute.

"It's huge, especially for the league as well," he said.

"Everyone's going to be needed and you've got to be ready and be in tip-top condition.

"It's nuts, but when you want to keep playing games and they're coming thick and fast, it's something you do want to be a part of."

Miller has enjoyed a remarkable rise in recent seasons, having been playing third-tier football with Falkirk just three years ago.

He says the opportunity to represent Hearts in Europe is a dream come true.

"If you have a look at where I was maybe three years ago, it just sums it up, to be honest," he added.

"Being in League 1 and playing in Europe, it's stuff you'd dream of as a kid, to play in the highest competition.

"For me at the moment, it's a surreal moment.

"That night in Vienna, I still can't believe it actually happened, so I'm just trying to keep making more dreams become believable."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken has been speaking to the media prior to his side's Conference League opener against Nordsjaelland on Thursday (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines:

• A muscle injury to midfielder Ageu, who has endured an injury-plagued spell at Tynecastle since becoming Hearts' record signing just over a year ago, means he has been replaced by Malachi Fagan-Walcott in the European squad.

• Vrancken confirms there are no other major injury concerns, with Stephen Kingsley and Josh McPake both fit and available.

• Vrancken describes Nordsjaelland as a "young team with a lot of energy". "They're good on the ball, they try to build up from the back," he adds. "They have good players and they dare to take those risks. It's a really good side to play against and it's a good challenge for us."

• The Belgian coach says Hearts have taken a "massive step" since the summer but can still improve in all aspects of the game.

• He insists the squad's "ambition" must be to progress in the Conference League. "When you compete in a competition, it's not only to be there," he says. "You have to want to succeed, to gain something, to aim for something. Then the games will tell if it's possible or not, but it's always the aim to go to the next round."

• Vrancken says he will "never" use the busy schedule as an excuse if the team don't win, adding: "I would be more disappointed if we didn't play those games. Of course, the big teams want to play these games, but you also need the [depth] of the squad with a lot of quality players."

Former Rangers youth winger Josh McPake's recent fine form and Scotland call-up followed a discussion with Heart of Midlothian head coach Wouter Vrancken about why the 25-year-old had been omitted from their European squad. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

At a time when everyone is searching for value for money, us Jambos could scarcely have asked for more from Wouter Vrancken's side as they swept St Mirren aside 5-0 last Saturday.

Money talks in Scottish football, as it does almost everywhere else, but the best bit of business Hearts may have done was securing the Belgian head coach's signature this summer.

Vrancken is already hugely popular in Gorgie. His team selections and tactics have earned plenty of praise, but so too has the way he carries himself - whether speaking to the media or chatting with supporters on Edinburgh's cobbled streets.

You sense that popularity extends to the players and staff. After a lengthy international break, the result and performance against St Mirren suggested that the extra time on the training pitch - and around the club - has been put to good use.

Last season was statistically successful, with Hearts finishing second and coming close to being champions, yet the journey was not always easy to enjoy.

Supporters may criticise former manager Derek McInnes' style of play at times, but there was also an underlying feeling throughout much of the campaign that the form could fade at any moment.

By the end, the away form had certainly unravelled, with just one win from the final seven games on the road.

This season, one of Hearts' greatest domestic strengths has been their attacking play. They have scored a league-high 19 goals in eight games - an average of 2.4 per match, compared with 1.8 last season. Put simply, maintaining that rate would mean scoring 23 more goals than in the previous campaign. And we all know that goals invariably leads to success.

There are signs of improvement at the other end, too. Goalkeeper Beau Reus collected only his second league clean sheet of the season and, following the weekend's results, Hearts now have the joint-third-best shutout record.

There is a growing belief that Vrancken's Hearts will become stronger as the season progresses. That theory is about to be tested, with nine games in 24 days before the run ends at home to Falkirk on 8 November.

This week alone will provide a stern examination of Vrancken and his squad. Nordsjaelland visit Tynecastle in the Conference League before Hearts travel to Glasgow to face Celtic on Sunday.

That demanding schedule has sparked plenty of debate about what Vrancken should prioritise over the next three-and-a-half weeks: domestic competition or Europe?

The case for Europe is obvious. It offers a bigger shop window for players, so the likes of Beau Reus, Jordi Altena and Claudio Braga will have the club's bean-counters - and shareholder Tony Bloom - hoping they impress potential suitors.

For me, those European fixtures could also provide valuable minutes for the likes of Pierre Landry Kabore and Rogers Mato, particularly when questions remain over whether they have the qualities required to start week in, week out in Scottish football.

Eighteen months ago, few would have cared too much about a trip to Celtic immediately after a European tie; Thursday night would have taken precedence.

Now, with some supporters still harbouring hopes of a title challenge, Sunday carries far greater significance. Defeat at Celtic Park would leave Hearts eight points adrift after a quarter of the season.

That gap would not be insurmountable, with another nine points still to contest between the sides, but it would surely sharpen the focus on finishing third, winning a domestic cup and reaching the European knockout stage.

Andy Burke is joined by Hibernian Women head coach Joelle Murray and Scotsman sports editor Mark Atkinson to assess the contrasting fortunes of Edinburgh's two biggest clubs.

Fans at Tynecastle are enjoying the attacking style of Wouter Vrancken, so can they find momentum in the Premiership or will a hectic schedule be their undoing?

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Former left-back Lee Wallace has been promoted to Hearts' first-team coaching set-up.

The 39-year-old, who made more than 80 appearances for the Jambos, was the club's transition phase coach but will now become part of Wouter Vrancken's backroom team.

Hearts say head coach Vrancken was keen for the former Scotland international, who also made more than 250 appearances for Rangers, to join the first-team coaching staff on a permanent basis after working within the academy.

The Tynecastle club say the Hearts academy graduate's "knowledge and experience" will help ensure a "consistent pathway exists for our players at all levels".

Watch the Sportscene panel analyse Josh McPake's contribution to Hearts after topping off a week that saw him make his Scotland debut with a goal in their rampant 5-0 win over St Mirren. Available to UK users only

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Record signing Ageu says he is ready to become a key player for Hearts after making his first home start in Saturday's 5-0 win over St Mirren.

The Brazilian midfielder has endured a frustrating 15-month Tynecastle career plagued by injury since joining from Portuguese side Santa Clara.

His only previous start for the club came at Ibrox last season, but he played for almost an hour as Hearts recorded an emphatic victory over St Mirren.

"I'm so happy and grateful because it's opportunity," Ageu told BBC Scotland.

"I was searching for a long time and now I got this. I'm so happy now to give this win to our fans and I'm looking forward to more.

"It was good we scored early because we have more confidence and are more comfortable to play. It's always good to score in the first half."

Ageu's progress has been hampered by a persistent hamstring injury, with the midfielder admitting his time on the sidelines was difficult to handle.

He was keen to acknowledge the support of his wife, Carol, and the club during his rehabilitation.

"It was so frustrating for me but, thank God, I have my wife Carol beside me all the time and she helped me a lot," he said.

"I need to thank her here in public because she helped me a lot when I was injured.

"It's difficult when you've got an injury. It's difficult to keep your mind in the right place, but all the time I had support off the pitch and they helped me a lot, the club, my wife.

"I need to thank everyone at this club because they treated me with the best they had. I'm so grateful for that and I hope that I can give back with wins and good games."

Hearts' next fixture is the Conference League opener at home to Danish side Nordsaelland on Thursday, and Ageu is eager to make his mark in European competition.

"I'm excited to play in the Conference League," he said. "At my last club, before I came here, we had the play-offs for the Conference League but we didn't get in. Now I have this opportunity, it's amazing."

Hearts make an emphatic return from the international break with a 5-0 hammering of St Mirren at Tynecastle. (Available to UK users only)

Hearts fans, we asked for your opinions on the thumping 5-0 win over St Mirren. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

David: Great performance and result. On today's evidence, we know that the 'front four' must be Calvin Miller, Claudio Braga, James Wilson and Josh McPake. Their intensity in and out of possession was very impressive even if there finishing wasn't quite as good.

Fixture congestion will mean others will get a chance and they need to keep the pressure on the guys that have got the jerseys which can only be a good thing!

Steven: Very good performance, the players coming back in did really well. Ageu comes back from almost a year out and looks the real deal. Josh McPake is currently the best player in the league.

Gez: I'm getting old, my health is failing, but I just have to keep coming for these moments. Nice to see a complete performance before I finally conk out.

You look at every Hearts player and you see someone who had a good game. The high press worked beautifully, the wide men caused nightmares, and also those little bits of skill and fancy flicks and defence splitting passes were sublime. A wonderful day to add to the memory bank.

Liam: A clean sheet! This is not a drill people. Scoring goals is class and entertaining for the fans but clean sheets wins titles. If we'd been better defensively at the start of the season, we'd be sitting top. Much much better today.

Calum: Josh McPake, please never leave!

Steve: An excellent result, with some outstanding inter-passing. Two certain penalties and well taken goals. Better concentration and Wilson would have been on the scoresheet. Jordi Altena still going walkabout and will cost us goals. Big challenges this month but the confidence is sky high.

David: Simply outstanding from back to front. Even though it was 5-0, St Mirren actually got off lightly - it could have been a barrel load. With injured players coming back, even though we have a hectic schedule, we should have the strength in depth to cope. The manager has to be the best piece of recruitment in years.

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Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken: "We played a good game, simple as that. Out of possession, in possession. We scored a lot of goals, nice goals, and kept a clean sheet which is always a good thing.

"You score goals with the whole team, the build up from the back was good. That's why the players get in good position.

"Same with the clean sheet, when the offensive players do their work it's easier for the defence.

"It's always our intention to [start quick], some days it's better than others. That's human. It's good to see us being direct and on the front foot. It's maybe easier at home.

"Ageu is a smart player. He only played the bounce game. He's still adapting. His way of looking at the game, he adapts a bit faster. Happy to see him have an impact and go for 60 minutes. We didn't want to take much risk.

"We didn't take Calvin off to prevent the hat-trick, but he had a yellow so we didn't want to take a risk there.

"Norsdjaelland are a young squad, full of energy, with a lot of runners. They're a good side to play against, competing with big sides like Midtjylland and Copenhagen.

"We fought hard to play those European games so we look forward to it."