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The Edinburgh club decided not to switch in Baku

Hearts have taken the decision to operate on UK time throughout their three-day stay in Azerbaijan. Tynecastle players and staff are not following local time in Baku, which is three hours ahead of Scotland, in a key strategic move as part of their preparations for facing Dinamo Minsk.

Hearts arrived in Azerbaijan on Tuesday and will fly straight to Aberdeen on Friday after their opening Conference League tie against Dinamo. They visit Pittodrie on Premiership duty on Sunday and are eager to prevent players having to adjust too much in between. Interim manager Liam Fox explained the time zone decision.

“Coming out here a day earlier was all in place before I came into this interim position,” he said. “We've just gone with what was in place and planned before. It's three hours of a difference. We're hoping that when we come back, it'll have an effect in the recovery period. We're looking forward to Sunday.

“At the moment, all we're focusing on is tomorrow night against a very tough opponent. We've done a good bit of work on them. I think what's really important for me is that the focus is always on us. Being in this interim period for however long it may be, we can look at all different other teams. We can look and watch loads of footage and we can show the players loads of bits and pieces. But what is most important is how we are - how we are in possession and how we are out of possession and how we go after the game.”

Fox is wary of Dinamo’s attacking threat. “I think they're a good side,” he said. “They're in really good form. They've got some really good individual players, they've got some good speed, they've got some good size. Any game, any opponent at this level is going to have some really good players. It'll be no easy game. But I repeat, it's about what we do. It's about how we set up and that's why my focus is on us rather than the opponent.”

After leaving midfielder Malachi Boateng, winger Yutaro Oda and left-back Andrés Salazar out of the Hearts squad for his first game in charge on Saturday against Ross County, Fox said all three have travelled. “It was just a selection thing. It probably highlights the strength of the squad and the depth of the squad,” he stated.

“These guys were naturally disappointed, which we want. We want players that want to play and want to be involved. But ultimately you can only pick a squad for a matchday and there's going to be people missing out. And unfortunately that is just the situation that we're in.

“Everybody is fit and healthy so I have some selection headaches, which is good. We'll see where we are tomorrow night and see what team we put out. As I said last week, it's a big squad. There's a lot of talent. There's a lot of quality. Actions and applications have been good. Training sessions have been good, they're giving me decisions to make, which is good. Everybody is here and travelled. Obviously we've got a big number on the bench tomorrow. But they're all giving me different challenges. They're all training properly, which gives me selection issues and dilemmas.”

Fox was coaching the Hearts B team in the fifth tier of Scottish football until just over a week ago. He has gone from Lowland League to Conference League in 10 days after the club sacked head coach Steven Naismith. “It's a fair jump,” he admitted. “I'm just really enjoying this experience. It's a privilege to be here, an honour to be here. We'll do everything we can to help the players. As I said last week, I feel that's my job, to help players. That's how I see coaching and management.

“We'll do everything we can to be ready for tomorrow night, for a tough opponent. But I've got belief in the group. We've seen on Saturday moments that we're hopefully taking a wee step. So we're looking forward to the game. I think the feeling in the group is that it's excitement. The players worked so hard to get to this opportunity, to get to this level, they had a brilliant season last year. We're going to enjoy this, but the best way of enjoying it is putting on a performance. You put on a performance, you get your best chance of taking three points.”

Hearts trained at the Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium in Sumqayit on Wednesday night, 24 hours before kick-off there against Dinamo. “In the last couple of days, we've done the majority of our planning and preparation,” said Fox. “It’s just a lighter training session tonight. Again, the attitude of the players has been really, really good. We'll have a bit of time tomorrow if there's anything we need to touch up on. Then we'll be ready to go and come kick-off tomorrow night.”

No supporters will be inside the ground due to UEFA rules on Belarusian clubs, who must play all European games in neutral countries behind closed doors. Fox does not feel the issue will unduly trouble Hearts. “I think a lot of these boys have played during the Covid times. Are we going to miss the supporters? Absolutely. Because of what they bring in, the energy they bring in. They're a big, big miss to us, we're aware of that.

“But, as I've said previously, you've got two ways of looking at things. You can mump and moan about it, or you can just get on with it. It's a situation, and it's just another challenge for us to overcome. It would be lovely to get our first win of the season. We're conscious that will be loads of Hearts supporters in pubs and houses back at home. Like I say, we can never promise that we're going to win, but we'll do everything we can to try and get that win.”

Lawrence Shankland’s headed equaliser against County stopped a run of eight successive defeats for Hearts. Fox insisted that moment must be built on against Dinamo. “Large parts of the performance pleased us as a staff on Saturday,” he said. “There were wee moments in the game where things could have gone differently, but for something to build on, it's been a really important goal.

“It's always better taking something than nothing. Off the back of the results we had, it's important that it's not just us talking about it being a step. We need to go out and show that and that starts tomorrow night. I think there's always an opportunity, especially in these runs and these moments. We feel like we took a wee step on Saturday. We've got a really difficult opponent tomorrow night so we've got to be respectful of that, but it's an opportunity to build on what we did on Saturday. That's how we're looking at it.”

Hearts avoid time zone issue with a key decision in Azerbaijan - plus news on Salazar, Boateng and Oda