Just In: Two key players to miss out on pizen Euro struggle today
Cammy Devlin admits the Jambos are delighted to be back competing on the European stage ahead of Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League Play-off first leg tie against Viktoria Plzeň.
The Aussie midfielder wrote his name into Gorgie folklore with his brace against Rosenborg on a memorable European night under the lights at Tynecastle 12 months ago and is now hoping to create more memories for the travelling Jambos in the Doosan Arena tomorrow night.
First and foremost, it’s really good to be back in this position. Two years ago, we were preparing for the Zurich game in the Europa League Qualifiers and to be back in this position as a team is really exciting and something we’re looking forward to, so hopefully we can put on a good team performance.
“As players, you work so hard every day for big games. In Scotland, we get a lot of them and you just prepare yourself to be ready for whatever challenge that comes. The games that we play in Scotland, are very different to the European games. You want to be a player that is ready for the big occasion, so I just try to prepare myself the best I can and no matter how big a game it is, I just try to do the very best I can and hopefully I can do the same tomorrow night.”
The successes of last season mean the men in maroon are guaranteed European football, regardless of the result over the two legs against the Czechs, but Devlin admits the Jambos are desperate to test themselves in the Europa League against the highest level of opposition.
“We’re really fortunate in terms of how hard we worked last year and the position we put ourselves in,” he said. “In terms of the fall-back, it’s not something we’ve talked about or that we’ve even thought about.
“We’ve got two massive games in the next week. The opportunity to play in the Europa League, we’ve had the opportunity once, but it’s something I never thought coming over here I’d be able to get.
“So, to be sitting here knowing we’ve got the first hurdle tomorrow night to be playing in the Europa League is so exciting. If we can make that possible, it would be so big for the club and the position we’re in is something we deserve.”
Finally, on the opposition, Devlin admits he is expecting a difficult challenge ahead of the second leg at Tynecastle next week.
“It’s a good stadium. The pitch looks really good. They’re a massive club and a team that has been really successful in Europe over recent seasons. We’re expecting a really tough game but I think all these games, no matter the opposition, are really tough.
“It’s a bit different going in when you’ve got two legs. We want to be in the best position possible going into that game at Tynecastle next week. We’ve got a game plan that we’ve been working hard on all week, but no matter what environment we play in, we want to be ready and do our talking on the pitch.”
Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference, Devlin said:
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