Heart of Midlothian

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Ryan McGowan believes a positive result for Hearts against Thun would change "a lot" for his former team.

Wouter Vrancken's side have picked up one point from their opening two Conference League fixtures and have travelled to Switzerland without a clutch of injured players.

"European football, I if everyone was fit and had a full squad, I think there'd be a good chance of them progressing," McGowan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I just feel like the run they've been on in terms of picking up those injuries has made it difficult.

"In saying that, a result tonight changes things a lot. It allows them a real opportunity to progress."

Thun have lost their opening two fixtures in the Conference League.

And McGowan added: "A point isn't the the absolute worst in terms of trying to hang in there to get something.

"But I think if Hearts have any aspirations to try and progress, which I think they did before all these injuries, they really need to be going there and winning and putting a real sort of marker down.

"Do I see them doing that? It's a really, really difficult task. Stranger things have happened."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Malachi Fagan-Walcott admits it is a "shock to the system" to be playing for Hearts in the Conference League only two years since turning out for York City against Braintree Town in the National League.

The 24-year-old centre-half did get a taste for European football with his local club while growing up in London.

"Growing up at the Tottenham academy, I've always had the luxury of watching European competitions," he said after travelling to face Thun on Thursday.

"To play in it is like a dream come true. For me, it's one of the biggest stages in football. This is the ultimate."

Fagan-Walcott had spells with Dundee and Dunfermline Athletic while on loan from Spurs and Cardiff City respectively, but it is after his summer move from York to Tynecastle where he first experienced the scale of support in Gorgie on a European night.

"Coming out for the warm-up and seeing the crowd, you think, I was at Braintree a couple of years ago," he recalled.

"It's a reality check, but it's good. It is a shock to the system at some point."

On the field of play, Fagan-Walcott has had to come to terms with the increased quality and intensity.

"Sometimes you can afford not to track a run when I was at York, because the person who had the ball didn't have the quality to play it," he said.

"Whereas now you've just got to make sure you're switched on at all times, because that one lapse in concentration and the ball's gone and the ball's in the back of your net."

Fagan-Walcott has also had to adapt to a new tactical system, having predominantly operated as the right-sided centre-half in a back three.

"You don't have that middle centre-half as your anchor," he added. "You can't just get the ball, pass it and run on like I used to."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Wouter Vrancken has been speaking to the media before Hearts face Thun in Switzerland on Thursday in the Conference League (17:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines:

• Calvin Miller requires surgery on the knee injury he sustained in Sunday's League Cup semi-final loss to Hibs and will be out for two months.

• Midfielder Tomas Magnusson will be sidelined until after the international break after he suffered concussion in the first half at Hampden.

• Vrancken says: "The last two games, especially the Rangers game, Tomas and Calvin were the best players on the pitch. Losing them in the first half on Sunday and killing the game by this is not a nice thing to experience. Again, we need players who step up now and take the responsibility and just play."

• Injury-ravaged Hearts have travelled to Switzerland with a squad of 19, including three goalkeepers and youngsters Gus Stevenson and Matthew Gillies, who are on co-operation loan deals at Stenhousemuir.

• Vrancken's team selection will be a "puzzle" with some players having to be deployed in unfamiliar positions. The Belgian adds: "They know how much they help the team by doing it. It's good to see because they take responsibility and don't live by excuses."

• A win remains the focus for Vrancken as Hearts look for their first victory in the Conference League this season.

• Hearts will have to be "spot on" against reigning Swiss champions Thun, who have lost their first two Conference League games but ended a five-match winless run by rallying from 4-1 down with 20 minutes left for a 5-4 domestic win over Lausanne-Sport at the weekend.

• "When you have a victory like this, it's always an incredible win and it gives a boost," says Vrancken. "They have a good team, a lot of energy, a lot of intensity. They have direct play, going fast forward a lot of moments and good quality players up front."

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

Where do you begin with that deflating defeat to Hibs?

When Tomas Magnusson went off with concussion, 23,000 Jambos had another headache - who was left to play central midfield?

Wouter Vrancken was already down to the bare bones. His options almost felt like Gary Locke, Agnes the tea lady or Yan Dhanda. By half-time, with Hearts 2-1 down, a few of us would have welcomed Agnes warming up.

That is not blaming Dhanda. But midfield was always going to be a pivotal battle and asking him - a delicate attacking playmaker - and a half-fit Laurent Mendy to contend with Josh Mulligan, Miguel Chaiwa and derby veteran Joe Newell left us outnumbered where it mattered.

The opening half was among the meekest derby showings I can remember. Coming just two weeks after that dreadful first 45 minutes at Celtic Park, it was doubly concerning.

An unprecedented number of injuries and relentless schedule explain fatigue. They do not make it any easier to understand why we looked so flat from the start.

Vrancken cannot control the injury list, but he can influence when he turns to his bench. Derek McInnes said last season the data encouraged leaving players on as long as possible. I wonder whether that Jamestown thinking is still shaping decisions. Whatever the explanation, changes are coming too late.

At 2-1 down in a semi-final, why wait until the 84th minute to introduce James Wilson as a second striker? Replacing Sabah Kerjota with teenage debutant Aron Benjaminsen also felt like swapping one diminutive inverted winger for another when the game needed something different.

It was crying out for physicality. Pierre Landry Kabore not getting a minute in the past two matches is a head-scratcher.

Kabore should be at least third in the striking pecking order behind Claudio Braga and Wilson. With doubts growing over whether lower-league recruits Amadou Ba-Sy and JJ Williams can make the step up, he deserves more opportunities.

Nobody is suggesting we write off Thursday's European trip to Thun. But I would give an academy midfielder a chance and rest a few tired legs with Sunday's important league clash against Falkirk in mind.

Going into the international break still in third place matters. Slip down the table and we face two weeks of stewing over it - plenty of time for some Jambos to overreact and reach for the panic button.

With injured players working their way back to fitness, Vrancken should soon have more options. For now, though, Hearts need a response this week - something to restore a bit of pride and send supporters into the break feeling better about their team.

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Swiss champions Thun prepared for Thursday's Conference League visit by Hearts with a stunning fightback from 4-1 down to beat Lausanne-Sport 5-4 and end a run of five games without a victory.

Gian-Luca Privitelli's side scored four times in the final 20 minutes just when it looked like they might suffer a humiliating defeat away to the side sitting bottom of the Swiss Super League.

Striker Furkan Dursun headed Thun ahead after only 12 minutes.

But the hosts were determined to celebrate their 130th anniversary with a victory and hit back through an Omar Janneh penalty following a hand ball, then the Spanish forward added their second in first-half stoppage time.

On-loan Lyon forward Enzo Molebe extended the lead after 53 minutes before right-back Lucien Dahler deflected into his own net just past the hour mark.

However, Thun got back into the game when former Lausanne forward Brighton Labeau headed home after goalkeeper Melvin Mastil had saved centre-back Marco Burki's free-kick.

Striker Riccardo Braschi slotted another after 81 minutes and, five minutes later, home centre-back Karim Sow deflected a Fabio Fehr cross into his own net to level the scores.

The winner would come six minutes into stoppage time when the ball fell to Labeau from a Braschi cross for a victory that nevertheless leaves Thun sitting ninth of the 12 teams, a massive 21 points behind leaders Lugano.

Victory comes as a timely boost as Thun seek their first Conference League points after single-goal defeats by Twente and Hajduk Split.

We asked for your views after Hearts suffered defeat to city rivals Hibernian in their Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Russell: Those injuries happened at the worst possible time. Hibs were able to sit back and, to be fair, coped well with the pressure and saw out the game. Massively disappointing, but when you have 11 players out, this will happen.

Jim: Difficult to make any assessment of a team depleted by a growing injury list. I fully agree with the manager's view that you could put together a very competitive side with the players on the injury list. With such a full programme from now until Christmas, the prospect of further injuries cannot be ruled out. With no prospect of recruitment until January 2027, we could be calling up youngsters to patch up the team. What the management team can come up with to hold the team together over the next couple of months will determine our season.

Alan: Hearts were totally in control until the injury to Tomas Magnusson. I think that unsettled the team, as they seemed to lose confidence, and Hibs took full advantage. The injuries are going to cost Hearts big time, as other teams will also take advantage of the depleted squad.

George: Very painful defeat, but I believe we won't be suffering many more of these results. The future for Hearts in the not-too-distant future is bright. I believe more than I ever have in the management of our great club.

David: Injuries caught up with us. Hibs were dominant for the last half-hour of the first half. Both goals had a bit of good fortune about them, but they merited the lead. Hearts dominated the second half, but the ball just wouldn't drop. Had they scored, there was only going to be one winner. The boys battled to the end, and Sabri Guendouz had his best game in a maroon shirt. No complaints - we'll be back.

Niall: The game changed as soon as Magnusson went off. Gaps appeared and Hibs exploited them. The squad has been decimated by injuries, and there is little left on the bench. It was the wrong decision to bring on Yan Dhanda, and Claudio Braga should have gone off midway through the second half.

Resilient Hibernian came from behind to beat depleted Hearts for the first time at Hampden - and earn manager Marink Reedijk a maiden win - to set up a Scottish League Cup final with Rangers next month.

Read the full match report here

Have your say on the game via this link

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Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken: "We started the game well, managed to go 1-0 ahead but the moment Tomas Magnusson got injured, there were some hesitations.

"The second half was much better, you saw them have the belief to try to score a goal, it's just a pity they didn't get rewarded for that.

"When Tomas Magnusson came off the doctor gave the sign he succeeded in the [concussion] protocol but then he came to me to go back on the pitch and I just saw him not finding his balance anymore, it was not possible to put him back on the pitch. It's a pity because he was good in the game and you lose an important asset.

"It's difficult to say now because he [Calvin Miller] feels it still in the outside of his knee. The brace is a precaution so it doesn't get worse but we'll wait for the scans.

"We've got 10 guys who are injured, I've never seen that in my whole career. If you put them together you have a pretty good team that could play in the Premiership.

"It's a missed opportunity but you can't go back in time and try to do better because in cup games anything can happen to decide the game, for us it was two bad injuries."

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Do not to expect "the highest-quality encounter" at Hampden Park, but with two new managers at the helm who are known for a more attacking style, could we be in for a cracker on Sunday?

So pondered The Herald football writer Stephen McGowan on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

Hearts' Wouter Vrancken and counterpart Marink Reedijk will both make their first appearance at Hampden for Sunday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

Vrancken will be looking to maintain his perfect Edinburgh derby record following a 3-1 victory at Easter Road earlier in the season.

Despite Hearts' recent injury issues, McGowan believes Hearts have plenty to be positive about against their city rivals at Hampden.

"It's a really tough time for them injury wise and yet they are somehow managing to defy that," he said.

"I think they'll be pretty happy with where they are just now and I think they'll fancy their chances going to Hampden.

"I think they would usually fancy their chances against Hibs anyway, but they seem to be in quite a good place just now.

"If you look at the likes of Josh McPake and so on, there's a lot to be positive about for Hearts."

Reedijk is still searching for that elusive first win as Hibs boss and Scott Allan views this as a "huge opportunity" for Reedijk to win the fans round.

"Hibs will be looking at it as a huge opportunity to maybe start building some momentum," the former Hibs midfielder added.

"But they do come up against Hearts, who, for me, in that final third, look a lot more devastating than what Hibs are and they've definitely showed that this season."

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Hearts are optimistic that Rogers Mato will shrug off the muscle issue that forced the versatile winger off in midweek, while centre-half Stuart Findlay returned to training on Friday after a groin injury.

Harry Milne, Christian Borchgrevink, Oisin McEntee, Ageu, Craig Halkett, Blair Spittal and Tom Renaud remain out.

Hibs forward Martin Boyle returns after illness and midfielder Callum Wright could be fit for a place on the bench.

However, Nathan Lowe, Jacob Devaney, Kanayo Megwa, Rocky Bushiri and Jordan Obita are still out.

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Wouter Vrancken has been speaking to the media before Hearts face Edinburgh rivals Hibs in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden on Sunday (15:00 GMT).

Here are the main lines from the Tynecastle boss:

• Rogers Mato is a doubt after being forced off against Rangers, but his muscle injury is "not looking too bad". Stuart Findlay has returned to training.

• Vrancken's first experience of the Edinburgh derby - the 3-1 victory at Easter Road last month - was "nice, especially because we won" but Sunday will be a "totally different game" as Hibs now have a new manager, new style and it's an "all or nothing" cup tie.

• While the Belgian is relishing the intense rivalry, he warns Hearts not too get caught up in the emotion of the occasion and focus their intensity and energy on the match.

• Vrancken says it's "amazing" Hearts are taking 23,000 fans to Hampden and adds: "We know the weight of the game and we want to win for sure for the fans who are supporting us already all year in the good and difficult moments."

• Injury-hit Hearts have to go "full force" against struggling Hibs, with Vrancken "so happy" to see players stepping up and playing different positions amid a challenging run of fixtures.

• Reaching the final would give Hearts "extra energy and confidence". Vrancken adds: "Now we have to just focus on putting the energy in that [semi-final] game because it will be a tough game. And we have strong belief but we have to show it on the pitch on Sunday."

• Vrancken's only previous trip to Hampden was a short visit around 30 years ago with Belgium Under-21s.