Hearts aiming for European history in remarkable Bruges surroundings

The cobbled streets and stunning architecture in Bruges’ historic city centre are spectacular sights. Building after building takes your breath away. Hearts arrived in the Belgian city on Wednesday determined to construct a legacy of their own in this season’s UEFA Conference League.

Victory over Cercle Brugge would effectively guarantee the Edinburgh club a place in February’s knockout play-off round, and would be the first time they can enjoy post-Christmas European football since 1989. That famous Bayern Munich UEFA Cup tie is still remembered fondly around Gorgie’s cobbled streets, and supporters will party on the Bruges version if their team achieves a historic result on Thursday evening.

For Neil Critchley, the Hearts head coach, there is the very realistic prospect of progress to the next phase of a European competition just six weeks since he took the job at Tynecastle Park. The sense of opportunity that lies here in West Flanders is unavoidable. Hearts are determined to seize the moment.

“We know we're going to have to be at our best, we're going to have to be here physically, mentally. If we are, then we'll have an opportunity of picking up three points,” said Critchley. “The players are aware of it. I think there's a quiet excitement. I don't mention leagues and I don't mention points. We just concentrate on the process and then hopefully everything else takes care of itself. We're all human, we know what could be lying further ahead down the line.

“We don't speak about that, I don't speak about that, because our focus is just on how to prepare for this game - how do we take to the pitch tomorrow night with a plan and implement that as best as we can to give ourselves the best chance of picking up the points that we need? It's about the players, it's about the club. It would be a big thing, it would be massive. It's exciting coming here, travelling here, seeing the stadium. It's different, it has a different feel to it.

“Life's for living and having different experiences and this gives all of us here, everyone, a great opportunity for us to progress further if we can and have more days and nights like this in the future.”

Hearts beat Dinamo Minsk 2-1 in Azerbaijan on the Conference League’s opening matchday. Harnessing the confidence from winning away from home in European competition is important in relation to the Cercle match. Critchley’s side have six points from three games, Cercle have four, with three ties remaining each.

“I think that's important. You can use that experience [beating Dinamo], particularly the way we won the game as well. You know you're going to have tough periods or tough moments in the game and then you have to overcome them and I'm sure that will be apparent tomorrow evening. There might be moments in the game where we have to grind it out and compete and defend and we've done it.

“We know how difficult it is. We've made it like that for the opposition when they come to Tynecastle. I'm sure that will be the same for Cercle Brugge tomorrow night and we have to make sure that we're ready for that.”

Hearts fans will take up a large portion of the crowd at the Jan Breydel Stadium - something else Critchley feels can be an advantage. “I hope so, yes. It's fantastic isn't it? There are over 3,000 coming, which is a massive following. It gives you a great feeling when you know you've got that support and backing.

“I hope they have a great night tonight and a good day in the city and then hopefully we can go out and give them a performance that is a really good representation of Hearts. There were a few people at Edinburgh airport when we left. The Wetherspoons were doing a great bit of business! Sometimes you look over and we say it as a staff - it must be brilliant to follow your club in Europe and go away with your family and friends and enjoy yourself. We have to concentrate on the football but sometimes we think: ‘You wouldn’t mind being in that yourself.’”

Having visited Bruges before in his days as a Liverpool youth coach, Critchley will again reacquaint himself with some of the area. “Possibly, yes. Sometimes you try to slip out and have a coffee or sometimes I would say go for a run - but it's not really a run nowadays, to be honest with you. I have been here once before, many years ago. I came with Liverpool and we played Club Brugge Under-21s.

“I have been to this stadium before and on the training pitches at the back. I have been to the city, I know what it's like. It's a fantastic place but we are here to do a job. We are here to prepare for a really important football game.”

The Japanese winger Yutaro Oda is back from injury and could be involved for Hearts at some stage of Thursday’s tie. Critchley feels the player could be a useful attacking weapon. “Yutaro Oda will be in the squad. We don't have any injury issues from Saturday. Obviously, with us having 12 subs, that gives us the option of having more people on the bench and Yutaro will come into that.

“From the games that I watched prior to me joining the club, I was impressed by him. I thought he had something different. I think it always takes a period of time for people when they are coming from different parts of the world to adapt. He has had a bit of inconsistency in terms of playing and injury.

“Hopefully, he can stay injury free and we can start to see some of the qualities that he has got. When I watched him, you can see some potential there. He has got a lot to improve and a lot to do. I am excited by what he could possibly become in the future.”