Preview: Hearts vs Rapid Vienna - prediction, team news, lineups

Hearts will welcome Rapid Vienna to Tynecastle Park on Thursday for the first leg of their Conference League playoff qualifying round tie.

The hosts dropped into this competition after losing to Benfica in the Europa League third qualifying round, while the visitors booked their spot in this round by beating Paide Linnameeskond in the third round.

Match preview

Hearts endured a summer of change following the heartbreak of missing out on the Scottish Premiership title on the final day of last season, with their manager and several players departing.

Wouter Vrancken was subsequently appointed, with a host of additions joining the squad, but the Jambos went on to endure a difficult start to the new campaign.

Hearts lost all of their opening four fixtures, a run which saw them eliminated from the Champions League 6-0 on aggregate by Sturm Graz, lose 2-1 to Aberdeen in their first league game and suffer a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Benfica in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round.

The Jambos finally recorded their first win under Vrancken following that crushing loss, winning 4-0 against Dundee United, followed by a 1-1 draw with Benfica and 6-2 win against Inverness CT in the Scottish League Cup.

The recent upturn in results will give Hearts a new boost in confidence ahead of this Conference League playoff round first leg, and the Jambos will be eager to secure the victory and move one step closer to returning to the league phase after missing out last season.

However, Rapid Vienna are expected to prove a challenging opponent, with the visitors heading into this first leg having won all of their last 11 games, while they are also undefeated in 15 straight matches.

Since the start of the 2026-27 season, Rapid Vienna have demonstrated both fantastic attacking ability and a formidable defence, scoring 29 goals and conceding only five in eight games across all competitions.

Rapid Vienna will also be able to draw from significantly more European experience than their hosts, including qualifying for the league phase of the Conference League in each of the last two seasons - as well as reaching the quarter-finals in 2024-25.

The visitors did, however, struggle away from home in Europe last term, losing three of their five away fixtures, although they have bounced back with two straight away wins in Europe this season.

Hearts form (all competitions):

Rapid Vienna Conference League form:

Rapid Vienna form (all competitions):

Team News

Hearts are contending with injuries to Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Craig Halkett, Stephen Kingsley and Ageu.

Claudio Braga has now scored two goals in his last three appearances, and the striker should lead the attack, with Josh McPake and Severin Sabri Guendouz providing width.

Meanwhile, Rapid Vienna are set to be without Claudy Mbuyi, Daniel Nunoo, Martin Ndzie, Andrija Radulovic and Dominic Vincze due to injury issues.

Off the back of a stunning 8-0 victory in their last match, Thorup could name an unchanged starting 11 on Thursday.

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Reus; Altena, McEntee, McCart, Miller; Renaud, Spittal; Guendouz, Kerjota, McPake; Braga

Rapid Vienna possible starting lineup:

Hedl; Bolla, Cvetkovic, Raux-Yao, Horn; Seidl, Amane; Demir, Adamsen, Dahl; Kara

We say: Hearts 2-2 Rapid Vienna

Hearts will be boosted by their recent improvement as well as the home advantage, while Rapid Vienna will be full of confidence thanks to their stunning recent run of victories.

As a result, we expect a hard-fought and intense first-leg encounter that ultimately ends all square.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.