Heart of Midlothian go chasing their first win of the season on Thursday evening, and progress to the league phase of the Europa League, when they welcome Viktoria Plzen to Tynecastle Park.

They do so on the back of their fourth consecutive loss, going down 3-1 to Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.

The visit of Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League play-off allows Hearts to escape their domestic ills and offers an opportunity to kickstart their season.  The Czechs hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg but the team have experience of overturning a one-goal deficit in a qualifying match having done so against Rosenborg last season. 

If Hearts manage to produce a famous night at Tynecastle they will face eight games in the newly formatted Europa League and earn a €4.31million starting fee compared to the six games and €3.17million starting fee in the Conference League.

Here is everything you need to know about the match:

Who: Heart of Midlothian v Viktoria Plzen

What: Europa League play-off round

Where: Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh

When: Thursday, August 29. Kick-off: 7.45pm

Is the game on TV?

Yes, unlike the first leg which was available via a PPV stream only, the second leg has been picked up for live television coverage.

How to watch

The match is being broadcast live on BBC Scotland and via iPlayer. Coverage begins at 7.30pm.

Ticket situation

Hearts have confirmed tickets have sold out for this evening's match. Fewer than 100 away fans are expected.

Are Hearts missing any players?

As per the first leg, Hearts are without the injured duo Beni Baningime and Calem Nieuwenhof as well as Andres Salazar who wasn't registered in the squad list. Zander Clark returned to the bench on Sunday after missing the first leg and James Penrice was rested.

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What Steven Naismith said:

"For sure we can't go into any game defending like we have done and also not make the most of the opportunities, especially in Europe. The game is much more tactical and chances are less likely to come up. Defensively you need to be a lot more switched on or you will get killed. In both boxes, we'll need to 100 per cent be better on Thursday."

Viktoria Plzen team news

The Czech side will travel to Scotland without star centre-back Robin Hranac after he was sold to Hoffenheim. They got a boost for the first leg when goalkeeper Martin Jedlicka returned to the squad. Lukas Hjeda and Jan Paluska could also be available but Christophe Kabongo will be missing.

What Miroslav Koubek said: 

“We must be proactive in our play because in their stadium with 20,000 it will be very difficult. We must defend well but be good going forward.”

Referee

Bulgarian official Georgi Kabakov.