Hearts out of Europe as Conference League exit is confirmed before RFS tie

Hearts and RFS have been eliminated from the Europa Conference League following Fiorentina’s 2-1 victory over Istanbul Basaksehir.

The two clubs meet at Tynecastle Park in an 8pm kick-off but the Italian side’s victory earlier in the day confirmed their exit from the tournament with two matches remaining. Two Luka Jovic goals in Florence overhauled Danijel Aleksic’s opener for the Turks in a much-needed win for the home side.

That leaves Fiorentina and Basaksehir level on ten points at the top of Group A, with Hearts on three and RFS on two ahead of their match in Edinburgh. The top two teams in the section qualify for the post-Christmas knockout phase, so the top two cannot be caught.

Next week’s trip to Istanbul will therefore be Hearts’ final European fixture of the season. They are eager to qualify for continental competition again this season by securing a high placing in the cinch Premiership.