Omonia Nicosia head coach Valdas Dambrauskas revealed Heart of Midlothian were the team he wanted to draw in the Conference League as he recalled his time coaching club legend Marius Zaliukas. 

The 47-year-old Lithuanian was appointed boss of the Cypriot side in the summer and he revealed that when they progressed through the qualifying rounds to the league phase of the Conference League he told his staff the one team he wanted: Hearts.

He recalled the connection Hearts had with Lithuania and Lithuanian players from Vladimir Romanov's topsy turvy stewardship of the club.

"I came 2004 once in Edinburgh, but there was no game," he said. "I'm telling you, for me to be here in this stadium and to play Hearts... When we go to the league phase, you ask my management, I said, I want Hearts, I want Hearts, if I can get Hearts. And then it comes up, we got Hearts.

"It's a really special moment to come here. I'm representing a great team from Cyprus but I'm also Lithuanian. You know how much connections we Lithuanians have with Hearts. To be here is a really special moment anticipating this game. I'm looking forward to playing against this great club.

"Whenever you say you are playing Hearts the interest is there in Lithuania. Everybody says legendary Hearts. I was living in England at that time and you follow Premier League and Old Firm. But go to Lithuania and it was crazy about Hearts. Four or five players used to start, you had a Lithuanian coach, you waited until the weekend to watch Hearts play. The interest is there and people remember those times very fondly.

He added: "You go to Lithuania, everybody talked about Hearts, [Edgaras] Jankauskas, [Saulius] Mikoliunas, [Deividas] Cesnauskis, [Marius] Zaliukas, [Audrius] Ksanavicius, [Andrus] Velička.

"I was coaching Velicka, I was coaching all those guys. And Jankauskas is a good friend of mine."

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Dambrauskas has had an interesting coaching career having studied sports science and coaching in England. He'd work in academies, including at Manchester United, before embarking on his own career.

That career took him to his homeland where he managed Žalgiris Vilnius for three years. It coincided with Zaliukas' last year in football. 

The Hearts cup-winning legend lost his battle with MND four years ago this month.

"In 2016, I was his coach," Dambrauskas said. "This was his last season. After that season, he retired.

"He was a top personality, a top man, and a good player as well. He was an amazing person. He was a natural born leader. He could affect the changing room just like that, with his smile, with his personality.

"He was an amazing, amazing person."

On the game, Dambrauskas admitted there are challenges posed when analysing Hearts after the club replaced Steven Naismith with Neil Critchley.

"Of course it's confusing," he explained. "You watch one team, then an interim coach comes, then a manager is appointed recently and has only had one game.

"I believe he has not changed the style but maybe the shape and some principles. Instead of inverted full-backs, suddenly the full-backs stay wide and there is a clear structure. Players know exactly what to do and I think it's not a coincidence that the team won with a good score on Saturday. When this happens, a manager has an impact, it gives the team momentum.

"I believe they will look at this game on Thursday and the game on Sunday against Hibs. We have to be really ready, cautious, because I expect nothing less than 100 per cent intensity and aggression, especially at the beginning of the game. We have to be prepared.

"We also played on Saturday and had a couple of training sessions, then a long trip. You can do most of your preparation with video analysis and group talks but on the training pitch there is only limited time."