Hearts will host Omonia at Tynecastle Park on Thursday evening for matchday two of the Conference League, with both teams aiming to maintain their perfect starts to the league phase.
The hosts clinched a dramatic 2-1 victory with a 94th-minute winner in their opening league phase match, while the visitors cruised to a commanding 4-0 win in their first fixture.
Match preview
© Imago
Hearts endured a miserable opening to the 2024-25 campaign, failing to win any of their first 10 matches of the season, including being eliminated from the Europa League playoff round, relegating them into Europe's third-tier competition.
That poor run led to the dismissal of former manager Steven Naismith after eight consecutive defeats across all competitions, and the decision has seemingly been swiftly justified as the Jam Tarts have shown clear signs of improvement in the subsequent matches.
Liam Fox initially took charge on an interim basis, leading the side to a draw against Ross County in his first game and a 2-1 win, the first of the season, against Dinamo Minsk in the opening match of the 2024-25 Conference League.
Hearts did fall to a narrow defeat against Aberdeen, conceding an 88th-minute goal to give the Dons the victory, but the strong performance against the unbeaten opponents would have boosted the squad's morale.
Neil Critchley was finally hired as the new permanent manager at Tynecastle Park, and the former Blackpool boss enjoyed the dream start as they ran out 4-0 winners against St Mirren at the weekend, marking the Jam Tarts' first league win of the term.
Critchley expressed that the fantastic result could serve as a launchpad for the rest of the season, and he will be hoping Hearts can extend their perfect start under his leadership with another positive result on Thursday when they host Omonia at Tynecastle Park.
Omonia could prove to be tricky customers, however, with the Cypriot side coming into the game sitting second in the Conference League standings after a superb 4-0 win against Vikingur Reykjavik in the opening game.
They have disappointed in the two games following that victory, though, losing 2-0 to Aris and 1-0 to Enosis Neon Paralimniou in the Cypriot First Division, causing Omonia to drop from second in the table to sixth with 12 points from seven outings.
Valdas Dambrauskas will be looking to end that losing run with at least a point from their trip to face Hearts on Thursday, but the visitors will certainly be the underdogs heading into the game.
Team News
Hearts will remain without Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring), Gerald Taylor (knee) and Yutaro Oda due to injury issues for this game.
Daniel Oyegoke has been forced off with injury concerns in each of the last two Scottish Premiership league outings, and the defender could be rested as a result for this one.
Elsewhere, a stunning 4-0 victory in his first game in charge could leave Critchley opting to name an unchanged side for this game.
Aiming to bounce back from two successive disappointing defeats, Omonia could opt to name a similar side to the one that secured a 4-0 victory in the opening Conference League match.
Veteran striker Stevan Jovetic has started in each of the two games since that win, and the 34-year-old may keep his place in the starting 11 here.
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Forrester, Kent, Rowles, Penrice; Dhanda, Baningime, Boateng, Spittal; Shankland, Vargas
Omonia possible starting lineup:
Fabiano; Dionkou, Coulibaly, Panagiotou, Khammas; Maric, Erakovic; Loizou, Costa, Simic; Jovetic
We say: Hearts 3-1 Omonia
The hosts will undoubtedly be favourites coming into this game, and with spirits high after a brilliant 4-0 win at the weekend, we expect them to secure a comfortable victory here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
