Hearts discover possible Champions League opponent as glamour tie potential awaits if Sturm Graz vanquished
Here’s who Hearts will play in Europe depending on how their tie with Sturm Graz goes.
Hearts have discovered who awaits them in the next round of the Champions League - if they progress from their tie versus Sturm Graz.
It’s Turkish giants Fenerbahce or Górnik Zabrze of Poland in the third round of qualifying should they be successful against Austria opposition. Fenerbahce were a possibility for Hearts in the second qualifying round before they were tied with Sturm Graz but the Istanbul club are now a live possibility for them next month. Zabre will be keen to upset the odds though just like Hearts are attempting to do in their tie over the next eight days.
Meanwhile, Hearts have also found out who they will play in the Europa League, if they are to lose against Sturm Graz. The Jambos have a safety net in the competition below but are also unseeded there and going won’t get much easier. They will play either St Gallen of Switzerland or Portuguese big-hitters Benfica on August 6 and August 13.
Who will Hearts play in the Champions League if they defeat Sturm Graz?
The Jambos are travelling to Austria on Monday for their Champions League second round qualifier first leg at the Merkur Arena. A clash on July 21 precedes the return meeting at Tynecastle seven days later with new head coach Wouter Vrancken aware of the glamour ties that awaited on the other side of Fabio Ingolitsch’s team.
Lyon (France), Bodo Glimt (Norway), Olympiacos (Greece) or the winner of Fenerbahce vs Gornik Zabre were the big names on offer. It’s been confirmed as the latter but all focus will be on getting there first. The ties for the third qualifying round in the Champions League take place across August 4 and 5 for leg one then August 11 and 12 for leg two with Hearts the away side to begin with.
Speaking after Friday’s friendly win over La Liga side Rayo Vallecano, striker Claudio Braga said: “I’m very excited, of course. I’ve been saying this a lot, it's any player's dream to play Champions League. Even though it's qualifiers, I think everybody wants to play that kind of game, against big teams in different stages.
Claudio Braga on playing Champions League football at Hearts
“Just to talk about European games is something really good as a player and I feel all the team is in the same thinking as me. Everybody feels happy, everybody gets a lot of minutes and then it comes to the coach to decide the team, but I think everybody's ready. I’ve dreamed of this since I was three or four!
“Every time I saw football, of course, you play football and you like to watch these kind of games more than anything. To watch Champions League and for it to be possible to be a part of it is something really big. Of course, it's different leagues that we came from, but at the same time, once you get here, because there are so many new guys, you just need to adapt fast and you can do it because there are a lot of new guys.
“I think everybody, also the more experienced guys, are trying to transmit that to the guys that came in. The league is intense, the league is aggressive, so you maybe don't have as much time on the ball as you had in other leagues. I think the communication in the group is really good and I feel we're doing well.”