Neil Critchley warns Hearts what to expect in Belgium - Cercle Brugge are 'completely different'

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Thursday’s Conference League tie is not the normal European away match

Neil Critchley advised Hearts to be prepared for Cercle Brugge’s very direct style of play when the teams meet in Thurday’s UEFA Conference League tie in Belgium. Having watched them in action closely, the Tynecastle head coach knows his team must handle Cercle’s aerial approach.

Miron Muslic’s side have lost seven of their last 15 matches and are without top goalscorer Kevin Denkey through suspension. Hearts lost 4-1 at home to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday. They can, however, be confident of achieving a positive result in the Jan Breydel Stadium to move one step closer to the knockout play-off round of the Conference League.

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In order to do so, they should not expect opponents who prioritise technical play or possession. Instead, Thursday’s match could be akin to a traditional British cup tie. “I've watched them extensively. With us kicking off late on Saturday against Celtic, I've had time to watch Cercle. I know the type of team they are and the way they play,” Critchley told the Edinburgh News.

“They lost 1-0 to Standard Liege on Saturday but any away game in Europe is difficult. We have to bounce back from losing on Saturday. We are in a good position in Europe and hopefully we can take one step closer to qualification on Thursday night.

“It will be completely different to what we faced against Celtic, different ends of the spectrum. Cercle play a different game but, in an effective way, the way they play is difficult to play against. It's not easy. You have to do certain facets of the game really well if we want to play our style of game.”

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