Eerie familiarity for Hearts in Austria with millions of pounds at stake in the Champions League
Twenty years have lapsed since a Tynecastle side played at this level
Exactly 20 years ago, Hearts were in Austria preparing for Champions League qualifiers having finished second to Celtic, lost their goalscoring talisman and announced a new head coach. There are some eerie similarities two decades later. The lengthy wait to return to the periphery of Europe's premier club competition has ensured sizeable anticipation around the Edinburgh club. They meet Sturm Graz in the Liebenauer Stadium on Tuesday after re-entering a country which became a favourite haunt during the Vladimir Romanov era.
Hearts embarked upon a gruelling 10-day pre-season trip to Austria in 2006 after beating Rangers to second place during a tumultuous Scottish league campaign. The iconic Rudi Skacel was sold to Southampton for £1.6m as the Lithuanian Valdas Ivanauskas was placed in permanent charge of the team. Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia-Herzegovina were the Champions League qualifying round opposition, then came AEK Athens and a 5-1 aggregate defeat remembered for red cards shown to Neil McCann and Julien Brellier. Not to mention the Frenchman's jewellery.
This time, there is a bit less madness surrounding Hearts. They have, nonetheless, lost another iconic scorer. Lawrence Shankland moved to Rangers in May, manager Derek McInnes followed, and Wouter Vrancken succeeded him at Tynecastle. The Belgian has had less than a month to prepare players for Sturm, but early evidence hints at his methods taking effect. How much effect will become clear in the south-east Austrian city of Graz, where many a European club has been dismantled.
There is a traditional and historic ambience in central Graz, where church bells ring out above red-tiled rooftops as trams weave through ancient buildings. The train journey south from Vienna is a sight to behold through rolling hills and mesmerising Austrian countryside. It is a relatively tranquil part of central Europe. However, rest assured noise will be booming come kick off at the Liebenauer. Official capacity is 16,364 but, like Tynecastle, Sturm's home generates a deafening din worthy of twice that number.
Hearts must be alert, sharp and concentrated to cope. Sturm will start the match at a high tempo with clear aggression and aim to unsettle their Scottish guests. The local Ultras are certain to be out in force, although a fair number of Gorgie Ultras are here with voices and drums of their own. They generated plenty good-natured noise on the flight from Edinburgh. They are here to see their team compete in an intriguing contest. Twenty years back, Hearts relied on Romanov bankrolling wages to the tune of £10,000 a week and more. Now there is Tony Bloom's expertise, Jamestown Analytics' data, and a speculate-to-accumulate approach to signings.
It is early in Vrancken's reign and certainly too soon to judge him, but the attention around Hearts right now is understandable. They came within minutes of winning the title in May and are now back in competitive action more than two months later, but with many different personnel. French forward Amadou Ba-Sy will travel to take part in this game after scoring both goals in Friday's 2-1 friendly win over Spanish side Rayo Vallecano. Other new arrivals like Tom Renaud, Sabri Guendouz and Malachi Fagan-Walcott offer promise.
Vrancken must knit them all together with existing mainstays like Harry Milne, Stephen Kingsley and Alexandros Kyziridis to form a team for both domestic and foreign assignments. As Rangers found out here last season, Graz can be an unforgiving place despite the pleasant surroundings. It is warm and humid, with rain likely and thunderstorms forecast. Hearts must bring their own electricity to garner a result for next week's second leg in the Scottish Capital.
They are certainly capable of it. Kyziridis and Claudio Braga have the flair, confidence and killer instinct to ripple the Liebenauer nets. Renaud and Blair Spittal could be a pairing which complements one another in midfield, while full-backs like Kingsley or Harry Milne will be used as attacking outlets. Sturm, in contrast to Hearts, have retained most of their squad from last season. They finished runners-up to LASK Linz in Austria's Bundesliga and are certainly the more experienced of the two squads.
Head coach Fabio Ingolitsch has added Costa Rican international defender Jeyland Mitchell to his defence alongside the Serbian Petar Petrovic. Midfield is strengthened with Austrians Simon Seidl and Jurgen Heil, and 6ft 3in striker Neilson Weiper is a loan signing to offer a physical presence in attack. Sturm have won four of their six pre-season friendlies, scoring 19 goals in the process, while Hearts beat St Mirren, Arbroath and Rayo but lost at Livingston.
There is no illusion for Hearts here. Fans believed back in 2006 that there would be many more Champions League ventures. The feeling that their new owner was taking them to a new level was inescapable at the time. Bloom has generated similar hope since investing at Tynecastle. In the intervening 20 years, there have been Scottish Cup wins, administration, relegation, promotion, demotion, a Court of Session battle and now, finally, a Champions League return.
Hearts have rebuilt and restructured to get back to this point. They are in the room and jostling for a seat at the top table. They may subsequently be kicked out and into the room next door for the chance of a seat at the Europa League table. Down the corridor, the Conference League door is ajar if needed.
Beat Sturm over two legs and the reward is guaranteed European league-stage football in the Europa as a minimum. That would carry a reward upwards of £9m. Reaching the Champions League would be worth £25m-plus. Even the Conference League, were Hearts to end up there, can earn clubs more than £5m. The stakes are high, but once again Hearts are showing the kind of ambition fans crave as they embrace the familiar and picturesque sight of Austria.