Hearts head coach Steven Naismith says his team is “excited” after finding out their potential route to the Europa League.
Naismith’s side will play either Ukraine’s Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih or Czech side Viktoria Plzen for a place in the Europa League.
The Tynecastle side are aiming to reach the group stage of the competition, which has been expanded this season and would offer a series of mouth-watering ties, as well as significant prize money.
Naismith has admitted the excitement is building around Tynecastle now that his coaching team have a chance to assess the potential opposition.
“You’re excited because you now have an understanding of who you might get,” he said.
“Two different teams, I think. Plzen last season did really well in the quarter finals of the conference league and it was a tight contest with Fiorentina.
“[Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih], they’re actually an immature team in terms of when they were founded.
“They came third in the league, we don’t know too much about them but that’s going to be the job now for us as coaches and analysis team to work out one, what their main strengths and weaknesses are and two, what we’re going to do to get through the ties.
“But yes, it’s exciting as you work hard last season and you now have an understanding.”
Hearts will play the first leg away from home on Thursday, August 22, with the return match at Tynecastle a week later.
If the Edinburgh outfit fail to reach the Europa League, they will have the consolation of a place in the Conference League group stage.
Naismith has admitted that while he can educate his team on his own European exploits as a player, they need to experience themselves to “build understanding of what’s required”.
He added: “The more you are there the better it is for you.
“It is easy saying about the travel and the schedule and how I think the European games are easier to get up for. I certainly found that as a player, when you’re in Europe that is a big night.
“It is against a team you’re not familiar with, and there is a big build up to it.
“But you then can suffer in the league games after and that’s where we need to be professional.
“So you can say all that to players but the more you do it definitely helps and builds understanding of what is required.”
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