FC Zurich boss Franco Foda admits he's done his homework on a Hearts strike force which threatens their European ambitions.
The German highlighted Barrie McKay, Liam Boyce and Alan Forrest as the Jambos danger men ahead of the crucial Europa League play-off, first leg in Switzerland. But he's also convinced his side are more than capable of overcoming a miserable winless start five games into their Swiss Super League campaign by gaining an advantage on the Gorgie side despite the match being moved to the home of rival's St Gallen.
He said: "When it comes to Hearts I’ve watched the last two games against Dundee United and Hibernian and we have analysed our opponents with all of the team. We know it’s a solid team, we know they play high-intensity football, they are very aggressive in one-on-one situations. We know they have individual quality with people like Forrest, McKay and Boyce.
"We’re ready to face them but what's important is what we do and how we prepare for the game and how much conviction we will be able to bring on the pitch. We would have to have played in our stadium in front of our fans but it is what it is so we have to accept the situation.
"The start of the league is not satisfying and we could have got more points. We’ve conceded some poor goals but in Europe we’ve done better and we have a good chance of winning the game.
"It’s the first leg and we all know when you play you face pressure every week. Last year we won the league and this time we have two points which is disappointing but we knew it was not going to be easy.
"I’m confident we will start to get better and start winning games in the league as well. International competition has important financial aspects, we already reached that goal because we will be playing in the Europa Conference League, we would love to play in the Europa League and that’s the goal."
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