HEARTS have found group stage European football a chastising experience this season with a few hammerings in the campaign.
But they although they only have a very slim chance of qualifying now, they should at least salvage some pride when Latvian outfit RFS visit Gorgie.
Robbie Neilson's side have suffered hugely from injuries this season and they have been unable to cope with the hectic schedule that European competition throws up.
They have been thumped home and away by Fiorentina and at home by Basaksehir and they still have to go to Istanbul for their final game. They sit four points behind qualification in third place.
Only a win would give them hope and they will take plenty of encouragement from running Celtic extremely close in a 4-3 defeat at Tynecastle at the weekend, although they are outside the top six in the Premiership and have now lost five of their last six games.
RFS are five points off the top of the Latvian league with three games left, but they have been far from embarrassed in the Europa Conference League having secured impressive draws with Fiorentina and Basaksehir – both of whom humped Hearts.
How the bookies view it
Hearts are clear odds-on favourites here at 4/6 with 888Sports. The Riga side can be backed at 4/1 with bet365 and the draw is 16/5 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
Hearts went to the Baltics last month and eventually edged a hard-fought game 2-0 with a goal at the end of each halves. That's been their only meeting.
Players to watch
Lawrence Shankland became the first player to score a hat-trick against Celtic in a league game since Aberdeen hero Frank McDougall scored four in 1985, but the Hearts striker still ended up in the losing side and he is 6/5 to score anytime with Ladbrokes.
Andrea Ilic scored RFS' only goal in the group stages so far against Fiorentina last month and he also scored in their 4-0 weekend win over Super Nova. He is 29/10 to net in the capital with William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
Although Hearts have been struggling big time recently, their battling display against Celtic suggests they may have turned the corner and they can restore pride in the capital with a win. To be honest, if they can't beat a team from latvia at home, they are wasting everyone's time in this competition.
It won't be easy against a Latvian side who have surprised plenty with their displays so far, but Hearts showed they had too much for them in Riga and can get the home and away win.
With RFS only scoring one goal in four games so far, it's hard to see them get past Craig Gordon here in what could be a defensive display. Take a chance on Hearts to win to nil at 7/4 with bet365.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Hearts and RFS will be played on Oct 27, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Hearts vs RFS prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
