Wouter Vrancken has warned Hearts to expect a sharp shooting Rapid Vienna side that’s even slicker than Sturm Graz as they enter Euro last chance saloon.
The Jambos go into the Conference League play-off on the back of a 6-2 cup thrashing of Inverness. But Rapid outgunned them by smashing EIGHT past Grazer AK in the Austrian Bundesliga on Sunday.
It’s Hearts last chance at making a league phase in Europe after being thrashed 6-1 on aggregate by Sturm Graz and 7-2 on aggregate by Benfica in the Champions League and Europa League qualifiers.
Vrancken’s Rapid Vienna warning
Vrancken said: “I think they’re a big side because, like we said already, when you're on the unseeded side of the draw, then you have always a good side against you.
“And Rapid is comparable with Sturm Graz in the way they press and maybe even better on the ball when they play football. So it's a really good team.
“So we have to take the confidence of our last games and be as good as we can and not only play the games, but try to go to the league phase.”
Squad changes and injury concerns
Vrancken has added Rogers Mato to his squad in place of departed Alexandros Kyziridis while Christian Borchgrevink and Kieran Wright come in for MJ Kamson-Kamara and Zander Clark. Injured duo Laurent Mendy and Harry Milne are also included in the squad confirmed by UEFA on Tuesday morning.
Whether Mendy and Milne will be fit to face the Austrians at Tynecastle on Thursday remains to be seen. The duo have missed the last three games with knocks and remain doubtful.
James Wilson is ready to play his part after coming off the bench to net his first goal of the season against Inverness. Vrancken said: “He did good in these games because James is one guy who is maybe not physically that strong.
“But when you talk with him, he knows what we want. He knows what I want to see and how to do it. And when he gets his pace like this, it was a good decision.
“And also, that's what a striker has to do, try to be in the link-up, but also be in the box where you have to score the goal. So I was pleased with his performance.”
New striker and goalkeeper on the way
Hearts are close to finalising a deal for towering American striker JJ Williams after striking an agreement with Rhode Island, understood to be worth around £100,000. It will come too late for the Rapid encounter but Vrancken is keen to strengthen his attack after issuing a warning to Amadou Ba-Sy to up his game after Sunday’s cup win over Inverness.
And 6ft 4in Williams, who has netted 11 goals in 23 appearances for the US second tier side, looks set to answer the call. The 28-year-old is hungry for a first test of football outside his home country and is out of contract at the end of November. Now he is expected to arrive in Edinburgh for a medical at the end of the week ahead of signing a contract to become the 11th new arrival of the summer.
On the subject of new signings before the transfer window shuts, Vrancken said: “We'll discuss it with the people in the club when it's needed.
“Sunday was good to see who is not ready yet, to do something extra for the team.
“Or where we need maybe something extra. So you can always learn from those games.
“But the thing I want to do the most is try to get every individual better.”
One new addition to the squad is goalkeeper Wright who penned a deal until January on Friday. The 27-year-old has been added following an injury to Zander Clark and will push first choice Beau Reus along with Ryan Fulton.
Vrancken said: “With Zander injured, it's really short, really risky. Especially when you go to Europe and you have nobody on the list there.
“We cannot go to Europe with two goalkeepers. We did a good signing there and he's a good guy. He's good in training.”
