Viktoria Plzen travel to Hearts for their Europa League playoff second leg as they look to complete the double over the Scottish side. The Czechs are looking solid this season and should have too much for their hosts, who are out of sorts at the moment.
It was a poor outing from Hearts in the first leg as they fell to a 1-0 defeat in Czechia. They were second best for much of the encounter and struggled to create any attacking momentum, finishing with just two attempts on target.
That performance and result is consistent with Hearts’ poor start to the season as they are yet to secure a single win across all competitions. Steven Naismith’s men have lost their last four matches and have failed to score in four of their last six fixtures.
Viktoria Plzen were full value for the win in the first leg as they dominated the contest and could have won by more. In the end, an injury time own-goal from Daniel Oyegoke was enough to seal the win.
It has been an overall smooth start to the season for Viktoria Plzen, who are yet to taste defeat across all competitions. Miroslav Koubek’s men are currently on a five match winning run, keeping clean sheets in the last four.
How the bookies view it: Viktoria Plzen heavily favoured
Viktoria Plzen have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 19/20 by Betfred to claim the win. Hearts are considered outsiders with Betfred offering odds of 23/20 for a home win while a draw is set at odds of 11/4.
Head to head: Only one previous meeting
Last week’s clash was the first ever meeting between Hears and Viktoria Plzen.
Players to watch: Rock solid Hranac
Viktoria Plzen have plenty of quality in attack, with Pavel Sulc particularly impressive. The forward already has three goals this season and is priced at 7/4 by Betfred to get on the score sheet.
With Hearts struggling for goals at the moment, Viktoria Plzen will be targeting another shutout on Thursday having not conceded in the last four matches . Centre-back Robin Hranac can lead the Czechs to another clean sheet at 9/5 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Midfielder Kenneth Vargas came off the bench for Hearts last Sunday and could be restored to the starting line-up on Thursday. Lawrence Shankland should continue in attack while Frankie Kent is set to continue in defence.
Viktoria Plzen are likely to stick with the team that started the first leg, with Daniel Vasulin and Erik Jirka partnering in attack. Sulc is expected to provide support while Hranac should feature in defence.
Hearts: Gordon, Taylor, Kent, Kingsley, Rowley, Penrice, Vargas, Devlin, Boateng, Grant, Shankland
Viktoria Plzen: Tvrdon, Jemelka, Hranac, Dweh, Havel , Cerv, Kalvach, Kopic, Sulc, Vasulin, Jirka
Anything else catch the eye?
Viktoria Plzen won to nil in the reverse fixture and given Hearts’ attacking problems, a repeat could be expected at 5/2 with Betfred. Given their attacking quality, the visitors could be backed to score in both halves at 2/1 with Betfred.
Given the late winner in the first leg, the second half could be tipped to produce the most goals at 21/20 with Betfred.
This UEFA Europa League match between Hearts and Viktoria Plzen will be played on Aug 29, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Hearts vs Viktoria Plzen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
