Wouter Vrancken has urged Hearts to show guts in Graz tomorrow night and take a giant step closer to a dream Champions League spot. The Belgian will take charge of his first competitive match in the second qualifying round and will hand Harry Milne the captaincy in his first major call as Jambos boss.
Vrancken's tactical plans and Ba-Sy's potential debut
Vrancken could also unleash summer signing Amadou Ba-Sy on Graz after calling the 6ft 3in striker into his Euro squad in a late switch at the expense of Rogers Mato. Ba-Sy impressed as he hit a debut double in Friday's 2-1 friendly win over Rayo Vallecano at Tynecastle, having sat out the early part of pre-season with illness.
Vrancken was keeping his cards close to his chest over his starting XI as Hearts take their first steps on the Champions League ladder in 20 years. But he is confident his side can dump the Austrians over two legs and seal a third qualifying round spot against either Fenerbahce or Gornik Zabrze, which would also guarantee a £5 million league phase spot in the Europa League as a fallback.
Vrancken's pre-match message: Focus and guts
He said: "We're as ready as possible. Everybody has worked hard to come here and to be here. I know we'll give our best tomorrow. It's very important that we show guts from the start and don't think about other qualifiers or the next round. Just stay in the moment, go full out and give everything on the pitch. Because when you start thinking too much about the next round, you lose your focus a little bit. I think it's most important to give it everything on the pitch now and give our best. Then we'll see what we get. I'm convinced that when we give it everything, we have a good chance."
He added: "It means a lot. I think every player dreams of playing in the Champions League but also in Europe generally. If you can qualify already and know you're guaranteed European games until the winter or into next year, it would be great."
Ba-Sy's rapid rise from bench to potential starter
Ba-Sy has only had 45 minutes of action since sealing his €200,000 switch to Gorgie from FC Rouen last month. But he netted twice against Conference League runners-up Vallecano in that first half on Friday. Now he could be handed the task to lead the line in Graz, having initially been left off the Jambos' UEFA squad list.
Asked about his thinking behind reinstating the towering frontman at the expense of Rogers Mato, Vrancken said: "I don't think an explanation is really necessary. When you saw him in the Rayo game, I think when you play your first 45 minutes after a few weeks of training and have that much impact, it would have been a mistake on my side to leave Amadou out. When he starts, he's now at 45 minutes and it worked pretty well, actually. We'll see tomorrow how many minutes we give him."
Captaincy and leadership group at Hearts
Milne will be handed the captaincy for Vrancken's first competitive game in the absence of injured Craig Halkett. Stephen Kingsley, Jamie McCart and Blair Spittal will also make up the new leadership group at Tynecastle following the exits of Lawrence Shankland, Cammy Devlin and Frankie Kent on top of Craig Gordon's retirement.
Vrancken said: "It will be Harry tomorrow. But I can also say that I've already spoken with the players. The club captain is Craig Halkett. Then it's Kingsley, then Harry, then Jamie, and then Spittal. That's the order, so now you know."
Respect for Sturm Graz but focus on Hearts' own game
Graz beat Rangers here in the Merkur Arena last season and lost to Celtic in Glasgow as they toppled out of the Europa League in the league phase. But Vrancken said: "They are a good team. A lot of intensity, a lot of pressure going forward, physicality, and a few very good players. So they're a strong side. But again, as we always do, we've analysed them while also looking at our own opportunities. I think when we're good and when we find our game, there are going to be opportunities for us to do something. The pressure is always there in every game they play, so we can expect it. It's about us. When we have quality on the ball, we can do good things. We don't have to put ourselves into trouble. But again, we know what's coming. It's on us to find the solutions and to show our quality from the start."
Fan support and the journey ahead
Hearts will be backed by 1,300 Jambos in the Merkur Arena as Vrancken looks to get off to a flier. The former St Truiden, Gent and Genk boss, whose only previous Champions League experience came with a penalty shootout defeat to Servette at the same stage three years ago, said: "When you saw the fans react in the friendly against Rayo, you could feel the synergy that you can create when you perform well on the pitch and the fans really get behind the team. We have to do the same tomorrow. We have to be there from the first minute, showing that we want to fight for our colours. The fans will be behind us. It's just incredible and amazing to see how many people have come here to support us."
