To say it has been a difficult few months for Hearts would be the understatement of the year. Few will give the Tynecastle club much chance of returning from Lisbon with a positive result from the Europa League qualifying trip to face Benfica and it is easy to understand why. It has been a far from ideal start for Wouter Vrancken.
The Tynecastle side will face Aarhus of Denmark or Sabah of Azerbaijan should they progress to the Europa League play-off round by defeating Benfica. Defeat to Benfica would send Hearts into a Conference League play-off against Paide Linnameeskond of Estonia or Rapid Vienna.
Former Celtic, Hearts and Scotland player Mike Galloway has died at the age of 60. Galloway joined Hearts from Halifax Town for £60,000 in 1987 and went on to make 86 appearances for the Tynecastle club, scoring 22 goals. Comfortable in defence or midfield, Galloway helped Hearts to a runners-up finish in the top flight in 1987-88.
Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill says there has been "a lot of hyperbole" surrounding the scenes following the club's Premiership title win on Saturday. O'Neill's side scored two late goals to snatch the league from Hearts, after which Celtic fans invaded the Parkhead pitch. Hearts players left the stadium immediately while still in their kits due to what the Tynecastle club say was a "menacing and threatening atmosphere inside the stadium".
Derek McInnes insists he is feeling no trepidation for Hearts' title decider at Celtic Park on Saturday and has urged his squad to embrace the "box office" occasion. "I'm not nervous about it, but dealing with nerves is part of professional sport, particularly when it gets to this stage," the Tynecastle boss said.
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