Hearts and Fiorentina will be looking to bounce back from domestic defeats at the weekend when they lock horns at Tynecastle for their Europa Conference League clash on Thursday.
The two teams will be meeting for the very first time in European competition, with Hearts currently sitting two points ahead of Fiorentina in Group A after two matches.
Match preview
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Hearts have endured a disappointing run of form at Tynecastle in recent weeks, losing four of their last five matches without scoring across all competitions and conceding 10 goals in the process.
The Jam Tarts have suffered successive 4-0 home defeats in their last two home matches against Istanbul Basaksehir and Rangers, losing to the latter on Saturday whilst playing over half the game with 10 men.
Head coach Robbie Nielson is tasked with turning Tynecastle into somewhat of a fortress, although that could prove challenging with Fiorentina and Celtic their next two opponents on home soil.
On a more positive note, Hearts picked up their first win in Group A when they beat Latvian side Rigas Futbola Skola 2-0 away from home three weeks ago, with Lawrence Shankland and Alan Forrest both on the scoresheet.
Hearts will now face Fiorentina twice within a week, and securing at least one victory against the Italian side would boost their chances of progressing out of their group.
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Fiorentina head to Edinburgh having failed to win any of their last 12 away matches across all competitions, a poor run dating back to April.
Their latest defeat on the road came last weekend when they suffered a slender 1-0 loss away at Atalanta BC, with Englishman Ademola Lookman scoring the only goal of the game just before the hour mark.
Sitting 11th in the Serie A standings with nine points from eight matches, manager Vincenzo Italiano will be aware of the pressure beginning to mount on his shoulders, with La Viola also winless from their opening two Europa Conference League fixtures.
A 1-1 draw with Rigas Futbola Skola at the start of last month was followed by a disappointing 3-0 away defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in their most recent Group A fixture, a result which has seen them slip to the bottom of the group.
One statistic which bodes well for Fiorentina is that Scottish clubs have won only two of their last 16 meetings against Italian opposition in European competition. Victory on Thursday would see them climb above Hearts into second place if RFS drop points against Basaksehir.
Team News
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Hearts striker Liam Boyce – the club's top scorer last season with 16 goals – is ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
Craig Halkett (hamstring) and Kye Rowles (metatarsal fracture) are also sidelined, while Beni Baningime is still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury.
Neilson is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup, with Orestis Kiomourtzoglou and Cameron Devlin set to continue in centre-midfield – the latter of whom was dismissed against Rangers last weekend, but he is available for selection on Thursday.
As for Fiorentina, they will be without right-back Dodo due to a calf injury, with Lorenzo Venuti set to continue on the right side of a back four, while Jonathan Ikone is suspended after receiving a red card last time out.
Nikola Milenkovic was only fit enough to make the bench last weekend and he eventually watched the entire game as a substitute, but he could be handed minutes at centre-back in midweek ahead of Lucas Martinez Quarta or Igor.
Christian Kouame was handed a start as the central striker last weekend, but he faces competition to keep his place from Luka Jovic and Arthur Cabral.
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Smith, Neilson, Kingsley, Cochrane; Devlin, Kiomourtzoglou; Forrest, Halliday, McKay; Shankland
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Gollini; Venuti, Martinez Quarta, Igor, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Mandragora, Barak; Kouame, Jovic, Saponara
We say: Hearts 1-2 Fiorentina
Despite their poor away run in all tournaments, Fiorentina will be regarded as the favourites to claim maximum points on Thursday, considering the quality that they possess in their squad.
Hearts will fancy their chances of causing an upset, but we can see the Italians edging out their Scottish opponents to claim their first win in Group A.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
