Calum Elliot says Hearts need to acknowledge where they are at as a club when taking on European heavyweights - but they can learn enough on the job to trouble Fiorentina.
The Jambos are in Florence this evening for their fourth Europa Conference League Group A match, knowing a positive result can aid their knockout round hopes. A defeat like last week's 3-0 mishap against the Serie A club leaves a tall order though but Elliot doesn't think Robbie Neilson's side should be expected to live with the likes of Fiorentina and fellow Euro foes Istanbul Basaksehir with a big gulf in budgets evident.
That much is evident in each side's squad depth, as Hearts don't quite have the same resources to maintain consistency in selection. They've lost eight of their 12 matches in all competitions and have had Liam Boyce, Kye Rowles, Beni Baningime battling longer term injuries while Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley have also had their issues.
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Former Jambos forward Elliot - who made over 100 appearances between 2004-2012 - exclusively told Edinburgh Live: "I watched the game last week and it's tough. You're at home and you have that belief you can win, but Fiorentina are a good side.
"There is a huge gulf in finances. There's a difference in the stature of the clubs. It's always going to be tough but I don't think anyone would be particularly happy with how the game went.
"But there's levels to football and they were too good for Hearts. It comes down to finances as you get what you pay for. It's not easy playing every Thursday and Sunday and that's possibly not helping them.
"It's not easy, especially with the World Cup in November, that these games are getting crammed into a smaller period. It's consecutive games back-to-back.
"That mounts up and they have long-term injuries. These boys would certainly be playing so going in at that level without top players is tough."
All that adds up to a shot of realism being needed but Elliot reckons Hearts will have learned plenty from a sobering loss that can make them Florence fighters.
He added: "It's amazing to get to these competitions but you also need to be realistic about where you are at a club. They have to go and have a belief they can win.
"They need to try and win and I'm positive they will have learned a lot from last Thursday. They will look to ensure they are more competitive."
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