Peter Haring has warned Zurich a rocking Tynecastle will make the Swiss roll in the Europa League.
The Hearts ace is convinced his side can overturn the 2-1 first leg defeat in St Gallen last week in front of a ferocious full house in Gorgie. Haring has his heart set on creating a memorable night in the capital and he insisted reaching the group stages would be like winning a trophy for the Tynecastle men.
And he reckons the Swiss outfit could be in for a fright when they feel the force of the Jambos fortress. When asked if Zurich could get spook, Haring said: “I think so – 100 per cent. It affects everyone that comes to Tynecastle. I know what it’s going to be like. Our supporters, especially in big games, always put pressure on the away team. They help us and we have to use the crowd, especially early in the game, and then we will see what happens. But, definitely, for an away team it’s not a great place to be, and for us it’s a better prospect.”
Haring admitted Thursday is a huge night for Hearts – and turning the tie would feel every big as special as securing silverware. He said: “That’s not a good question for me, because I don’t know!
“We won’t win a trophy if we win the game on Thursday and qualify but whatever... It’s hopefully going to be a great night for us and for the club. If we put the same effort in defensively and offensively as we did against Celtic then we’ve got a right good chance.”
Jambos boss Robbie Neilson rested several star turns in Sunday’s 2-0 Premiership defeat to Celtic, with Craig Gordon, Stephen Kingsley, Cammy Devlin left out and Barrie McKay and Lawrence Shankland on the bench. Defender Craig Halkett is set to miss the Zurich showdown after limping off in the first leg but the rest are raring to go.
Neilson said: “Everyone will be ready, the only one potentially that won’t make it will be Craig Halkett. I was pleased with the players that came in against Celtic. We don’t have a big squad but we’ve got real quality and depth.”
Meanwhile, Neilson has played down Halkett’s chances of being fit straining his hamstring in St Gallen. Neilson said: “Everyone will be ready. The only one potentially that won’t make it will be Halkett.”
Neilson hailed the quality within his squad, but admitted he still wants a couple of new additions before the transfer window closes. Korean forward Lee Seung-woo is being targeted as is Nottingham Forest talent Alex Mighten as he bids to beef up Hearts’ attacking options.
The Tynecastle boss is keen on a loan deal for the United States-born 20-year-old and talks have taken place between the two clubs. Mighten is highly rated at Forrest, where he has another three years left on his contract, but after playing 27 times as they won promotion last term first-team opportunities are expected to be more difficult this season.
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