FC Zurich boss Franco Foda says his side are looking forward to playing at a sell-out Tynecastle as they bid to reach the Europa League group stage.
The Swiss champions head for the capital with a slender 2-1 advantage as they bid to advance past Hearts and into the tournament proper. The Jambos fans will be out in force with a ferocious atmosphere expected under the lights in Gorgie on Thursday night.
Robbie Neilson will be hoping the fan factor can inspire his troops to a famous result and secure their spot in the second tier tournament and the cash bonus that comes with it. Zurich general manager - former Hearts man Jose Goncalves - has already told Foda and his players what to expect ahead of Thursday's big showdown.
He said: “Jose has told us about the atmosphere at Tynecastle so we’ll have to prepare for that.
“But this is exactly what we love about football and what everybody likes. When the stadium is full there is enthusiasm and the atmosphere is good so we’re looking forward to playing there.”
FC Zurich recovered from going behind to a Lawrence Shankland penalty to turn the game on its head in the first half last week. But Hearts recovered to keep the tie firmly alive ahead of the return. Scotland No1 and Jambos skipper Craig Gordon made a number of key saves including a massive stop at the very end of the first meeting.
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It will be a different test for the visitors who hope to use the pace they possess to hit Neilson and Co on the counter attack. He added: “We have a lot of fast players and hopefully we can create some chances through counter attacks.
"The result was okay and now we have to show up in Scotland and try and make it to the Europa League group stages.”
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