HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN dug deep in Norway to keep their UEFA Europa Conference League hopes alive and will be hoping a passionate home crowd can help them sink Rosenborg to reach the play-off round.
I tipped the Norwegians to edge the first leg on home soil with the Jambos still a bit ring-rusty and it didn't look good for the Scottish side as they fell 2-0 down inside 45 minutes to bring up my second bet of over 1.5 Rosenborg goals.
But Hearts improved after the break and a late header from Lawrence Shankland has given them hope of turning the tie around back home in Edinburgh.
The Tynecastle side struggled at the weekend as they drew a blank at home to Kilmarnock in stalemate and I cashed in by backing the half-time draw in what looked like being a tight game after a midweek trek to Scandinavia.
The players won't have any problem getting up for the return with Rosenborg on a big night under the lights but they face a tough task against a team who are finally hitting some form.
Rosenborg made a terrible start to the season, winning just three of their first 14 games, but that victory over Heart of Midlothian in the first leg made it seven games without defeat.
Svein Maalen's men didn't play at the weekend so they will be fresh for the trip to Edinburgh and will fancy their chances of seeing off the Jambos after bossing the first half in Trondheim.
How the bookies view it
Rosenborg are odds-on favourites to go through after that win at home, with McBookie pricing them at just 1/2 and the Jambos at 6/4. For a win on the night, Heart of Midlothian are 21/20 at BoyleSport with the Norwegians 11/4 at Unibet and the draw paying 14/5 with Bet365.
Head to head
That first-leg win was just Rosenborg's second victory over a Scottish side in 13 games. Most of their clashes have been with Celtic in the Champions League while St Johnstone beat them 2-1 on aggregate in a Europa League qualifier 10 years ago.
Players to watch
It's hard to look past Shankland for a Heart of Midlothian goal with the Scotland striker netting twice in three games so far this season. He's a tempting 7/5 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Emil Frederiksen will have his confidence up after the new arrival opened his account with a goal against Hearts just two games into his Rosenborg career. The young Dane is 9/2 at SkyBet for another goal which looks a bit overpriced for a forward.
Anything else catch the eye?
Heart of Midlothian should go for it with a packed Tynecastle behind them and that should lead to an open game. BTTS is just 4/5 at Bet365 but over 2.5 goals is better at evens with Paddy Power.
It expect a few hefty challenges with so much at stake but I've yet to see a market on total cards. Bet365 do have prices for player cards though and Cammy Devlin appeals at 13/8 after being booked in his last two outings.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Heart of Midlothian and Rosenborg will be played on Aug 17, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Heart of Midlothian vs Rosenborg prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.