Hibs Must Avoid Hearts' European Fate Against Malisheva

Raphael Sallinger spent Tuesday night in the Tynecastle stands watching Hearts unravel on the European stage. On Thursday, he knows he cannot allow Hibernian to follow them.

Hearts’ 2-0 home defeat to Sturm Graz sealed a brutal 6-0 aggregate exit from the Champions League, the heaviest two-legged loss in the club’s European history. Hibs’ new goalkeeper saw it all up close – with a twist.

His partner works for Sturm Graz as a nutritionist. This was part family visit, part scouting trip, and fully a reminder of how unforgiving Europe can be.

“My missus actually works for Sturm Graz as a nutritionist so it was obviously clear for me to go and watch her at Tynecastle,” the Austrian explained. “She's not over in Scotland very often. She'll be at our game tomorrow as well to support me.

“Sturm are a very good team. Of course there were a few conversations when we knew they were playing Hearts, but only about small details, nothing special. I'm happy for them that they went through.”

Happy for Sturm. Very aware of the warning.

Because while Hearts lick their wounds, Hibs are staring at their own European problem. They trail 2-0 to Malisheva, the Kosovan underdogs who stunned them in the first leg of their Conference League qualifier. The second leg at Easter Road now carries real jeopardy.

Sallinger will start that game with the images of Hearts’ collapse still fresh in his mind – and a determination not to let Edinburgh suffer a double dose of humiliation.

He doesn’t hide from the anger over last week’s performance.

“We as a group spoke about a lot of things which went wrong in that game,” he said. “There are clearly things we can improve on, but we've worked very well this week.”

“These are the moments where you can see what character is in this team and we will show that character tomorrow.”

That word – character – will define Hibs’ night. A 2-0 deficit at home to a side with little European pedigree is both a challenge and an opportunity. Fail, and it becomes a scar on the club’s season before it has properly begun. Succeed, and the first leg fades into a lesson rather than a lasting stain.

Sallinger is clear about the objective. No romance, no excuses.

“It doesn't matter which side we're playing against. The main target is getting through to the third round of the Conference League,” he said. “We have to make sure we win tomorrow. We don't want to look back too much on the last game. All we can do is look forward and try to change things around.”

He has already seen what happens when a tie slips away and a stadium turns anxious. This time, under the Easter Road lights, he intends to make sure Hibs write a very different European story.