Jim Jefferies has a proud European record to preserve against Paksi tonight.
In his first stint at Tynecastle, the Hearts manager was beaten only twice in 10 matches.
He is back on the continent for the first time since taking on Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup 11 years ago. “Maybe the more experience you gain in Europe makes you ready for it. The only team to beat us by more than one goal is Real Mallorca. I remember playing Red Star Belgrade in 1996 and when they were last in Europe they’d won the European Cup.
“They were a fantastic team but we got a 0-0 draw over there and the boys did fantastic. We came back, scored first but went out on away goals.
“Second time we got the tie everyone wanted against Mallorca, who were top of the Spanish league at the time.Nobody had scored at their ground. They beat us 1-0 then we went over there and if the game had gone another 10 minutes we’d have won.
“I’ve seen Paksi twice and got a lot of information on them. Our Hungarian goalkeeper, Janos Balogh, has been a big help because he knows quite a few of their players and he is friendly with their captain, who is suspended for this game.”
Marius Zaliukas, the Hearts captain, has been told by his former team-mate and fellow Lithuanian, Linas Pilabitis, who now plays in Hungary, that Paksi “aren’t the best team in the country.”
“Linas says they work hard and fight for every ball until the last second,” said Zaliukas.
“I was surprised by their 3-0 win in Tromso . . . All the players know not to underestimate this team. We’re focused and we don’t want to waste last season’s achievements.”
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