Hearts take unusual step to ease European burden amid Steven Naismith 'optimism'

The Tynecastle side are facing an 8,000km round trip to play Dinamo Minsk at the Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium in Sumqayit with the Belarussians not permitted to play at home due to the war in Ukraine.

The match takes place on Thursday, October 3, just three days before a scheduled trip to Pittodrie, and head coach Steven Naismith revealed that the squad will take the unusual step of travelling straight to Aberdeen rather than returning to Edinburgh.

Naismith is "optimistic" over his team's chances in the revamped competition which will also include home games against Omonia Nicosia, Heidenheim and Petrocub, plus away matches at Copenhagen and Cercle Brugge.

But he admits the tie against Minsk presents logistical challenges.

"The tough part is probably going to be right at the start when we need to go to Azerbaijan and go to Aberdeen in the space of three days. That was always going to be the challenge.

"Travelling out, we'll go a day earlier and we'll go straight to Aberdeen just to cut out a lot of travel that you would have otherwise. We'll need to use the squad, that's inevitably what will need to happen.

"I think, if you look consistently over the years, Scottish teams outwith the Old Firm have struggled when they've had Europe. It's not going to be easy but I've experienced it myself as a player.

"We've got internationals within the group that have experienced that tough challenge of having to consistently go when you're not feeling at your freshest. You've got to deal with it.

"If we want to be successful and we want to consistently do it, we need to show that we can handle it and perform in Europe and the games after Europe. Also, for the bigger picture, we want to get back in that position for next season. It'll be a challenge but it's a big one, it's a good one and I'm optimistic about the group that we've got."