Andy Halliday is relishing his return to Europe with Hearts, but admits there’s one potential opponent he wants to avoid.
The versatile midfielder penned a two-year contract extension last season, safe in the knowledge that the Jambos were returning to the continent. Third place combined with a place in the Scottish Cup final meant Robbie Neilson’s team guaranteed themselves group stage football until November. The hope is that it’s in the Europa League, but there’s always the safety net of the Europa Conference League.
Halliday sampled some big nights in the former while playing for Rangers. Euro nights return to Tynecastle for the first time since 2016, when Neilson suffered an embarrassing defeat to Maltese minnows Birkirkara. The Europa League play-off round draw takes place next Tuesday, with the ties to be played on August 18 and 25 respectively. The names Hearts could face include the likes of Fenerbahce and Olympiacos, but there’s one side from his Ibrox days that Halliday would prefer not to see again.
“Me and the boys have all been speculating on who we could get,” he said. “You saw all the names of our potential European opponents. I’ve managed to play quite a few European ties now and had a few experiences so I was looking at who we might face.
"I don’t want Shkupi because I’ve played there. I would obviously like to play a team I haven’t played before in a different country. You look at some of the clubs in there: Fenerbahce is known for a great atmosphere, as is Olympiakos, Partizan Belgrade is another really famous one.
“It will be great experience for the boys who have and haven’t played in Europe, even the international players. It’s really exciting times for this club.”
Hearts kick-off the 2022/23 Premiership season at home to Ross County on Saturday, but last term’s success comes the pressure of expectation. However, Halliday insists there’s something wrong if demands aren’t being made going into a new campaign.
“With success comes more pressure,” he told the Edinburgh Evening News. “Teams will expect us to improve, as will fans, especially when you see how much we have added to the squad.
“We are in Europe because we want to make a stamp on the competition. We are guaranteed to be in there until Christmas and we hope it’s in the Europa League. No matter who we play, we want to do well and show that we are a good football side.
“I think pressure is part of the job. I believe the boys we have can deal with that. The characters in the dressing room are excellent and we have only added to that during the summer. The boys who came in certainly fit the mould we are looking for.”
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