Former Aberdeen winger Topi Keskinen believes Hearts can get their Conference League group stage off to a winning start if they noise up Nordsjaelland at Tynecastle. Keskinen faced the Danish side on Friday as his Odense team held them to a goalless draw.
Home advantage key
Keskinen thinks the game being at Tynecastle is a major boost because Nordsjaelland are formidable on their own turf but not as strong away. He believes Wouter Vrancken's side can get a big result if they go direct and get at them, backed by a noisy, sold-out Hearts support.
“I think Hearts will beat them at home,” Keskinen told Record Sport. “It would have been different in Nordsjaelland. At home, they play on an artificial surface. They are much better at home than away, usually. I think if it was a home game then Nordjaelland would be favourites. It is a big positive for Hearts that the game is at Tynecastle. Having the home advantage will be big for Hearts.”
Exploiting weaknesses
Nordsjaelland don’t get the biggest of crowds, and Keskinen knows from his own experience how tough a trip to Gorgie can be. The best he got from there was a draw in his time at Aberdeen.
“I only got a point from there at Aberdeen,” Keskinen confirmed. “When they get the momentum or go ahead then it is very difficult for away teams. Nordsjaelland also don’t have a massive fanbase. Their young boys won’t be used to that. It could unnerve a few of them, although they are good players. I think Hearts have a good team. They have started the season quite well. Their manager has changed and so has their style of play. They don’t play so many long balls. I think Hearts could get a lot of joy from putting crosses into the box and set-plays. That is an area where Nordsjaelland can be exploited. I also can’t see Nordjaelland matching Hearts’ physicality.”
Danish style and talents
Nordsjaelland rested a number of players against Odense, including top scorer Alexander Lind. Keskinen expects most of their big guns to be back for the Edinburgh clash. The winger, who came off the bench after returning from a gruelling international campaign, explained how the Danes played against Odense.
“They played a 3-4-3 against us but their players just constantly rotated to make space and options for each other,” he said. “They just play in short and don’t like to play long balls. They want to keep the ball and control the game. We put them under pressure with long balls and played for second balls. We just put them under pressure. They are young so they struggled a bit in the duels.”
The Danish title chasers will come to the capital and try to dominate. Keskinen knows when they click they are top drawer. He compared them to Motherwell from last season under Jens Berthel Askou, but reckons Nordsjaelland are even a step up from that. He also thinks the Danes have some top young talents that will turn into big names, including Prince Amoako Junior, Juho Lahteenmaki, Runar Norheim, Noah Markmann and Justin Janssen.
“Everyone was telling me that it is crazy to play away to them because they move the ball so quickly,” the former Don admitted. “Maybe it was because they left a few players. When we played them they also had a few players who had been on international duty. Their starting XI wasn’t their usual one. They weren’t great against us but that was out of character. They are a very good side who just like to play total football. They don’t like to play long balls. It is also short and sharp. They are a bit like Motherwell last season but maybe taking it to another level. They also have a lot of young players and they have a lot of energy. They have a lot of really exciting young players who people will see and hear a lot more from over the next four or five years. They have some amazing talents, who like to play football.”
