Finlay’s Football Journalism

Result: Heart of Midlothian 2-0 Omonia Nicosia

💪Two goals in the opening 25 minutes set Hearts on their way to victory on Thursday evening. Goals from Alan Forrest and Blair Spittal secured a perfect start to their European campaign with 6 points from 6 available.

4⃣The stats showed the Cypriot side having more of the possession but Hearts had the better chances and could have had 4 goals in the first half as Fabiano made an unbelievable save to deny Lawrence Shankland whilst Frankie Kent should have scored with a header from a corner.

✅However, sensational strikes from Forrest and Spittal ensured that Hearts took all 3 points and sit in a good position in the Conference League table and have a solid platform to progress.

⚽️Jambos in Europe #2
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Heart of Midlothian vs Omonia Nicosia🇨🇾
🏆UEFA Conference League, League Phase - Matchday 2
📅Thursday 24th October 2024 @ 17:45
🏟️Tynecastle Park

Match Preview:
📈11th in Scotland takes on 6th in Cyprus.
✅Both sides won their European openers and have their eyes set on adding to their positive starts.
1⃣A first meeting between the sides awaits in the Scottish capital.

📊Hearts Form: WLWDL

Hearts secured their first win of the league campaign at the weekend, an emphatic 4-0 demolition of St Mirren, lifting Hearts above city rivals Hibernian ahead of the Edinburgh derby on Sunday. Performances have been better of late with 2 wins in 3.

📊Omonia Nicosia Form: LLWWL

The Cypriots travel to Scotland having lost their last 2 league games without scoring a goal. However, a 4-0 victory over Vikingur means Omonia have confidence of getting another result on the European stage.

👀Player to Watch:
Hearts: Kenneth Vargas🇨🇷
The Costa Rican international finally broke his goal drought at the weekend and will aim to add to that tonight. His speed is sure to cause problems for the Omonia defence and link-up with main man Lawrence Shankland will be pivotal.

👀Player to Watch:
Omonia Nicosia: Stevan Jovetić🇲🇪
The Montenegro international is a well-known name across European football turning out for sides such as Man City and Fiorentina. The new signing will set his sights on announcing himself to the Omonia faithful with a goal.

🆚The Match:
An even encounter is expected at Tynecastle, with both sides looking to build on their Matchday 1 victories.

Expect an end-to-end game to see whether the points stay in Edinburgh or head back to Cyprus.

⚽️Scottish Lower Leagues #1
🔵Falkirk FC vs Livingston FC🦁
🏆Scottish Championship - Matchday 8
📅Tuesday 8th October 2024 @ 19:45
🏟️Falkirk Stadium - Falkirk

Match Preview:
🔝2nd vs 3rd as both sides have the opportunity to go top of the Championship table ahead of Ayr United
🔙Previous league meetings between the sides were in season 2017/18 when Livi won both games at the Falkirk Stadium with the other two ending in 0-0 draws

📊Falkirk Form: WLLWL

Falkirk's unbeaten league run was halted by Raith Rovers just over a week ago but they responded with victory over Ayr at the weekend to go level on points at the summit of the Championship. The only other two losses coming in cup competitions versus Stenhousemuir and Celtic but their league form has remained solid with 6 wins and a loss so far this campaign.

📊Livingston Form: DWWWW

Livi are unbeaten in their last 8 games since their League Cup exit after defeat to Spartans. They have pulled off some top results to keep themselves in touch with the leaders and a big enough win tonight could put them top.

👀Falkirk's Dangerman: Ethan Ross

Two goals in the win over Ayr at the weekend makes him the dangerman for the hosts in this important early season clash. His pace on the wing will be a threat to Livi's backline and he will aim to add to his double from the weekend.

👀Livingston's Dangerman: Scott Pittman

Playing from deep his attacking endeavours don't go unnoticed as he plays a part in both creating and taking goalscoring opportunities. With 3 goals to his name so far this campaign, his impact on this Livi side will be instrumental.

🆚The Match:
3 points up for grabs alongside the opportunity to go top of the league awaits the sides in Falkirk this evening.

Can Falkirk secure their first league win over Livi since 2015 or will Livi extend their unbeaten streak at the Falkirk Stadium to six games?

Result: Rangers FC 1-4 Olympique Lyonnais

❌Rangers had multiple chances in the opening 8 minutes including Václav Černý spurning an great goalscoring when he blazed over the bar with the goal at his mercy after Tom Lawrence's shot was parried out to the Czech international.

👊Rangers were then hit with a sucker punch as Malick Fofana opened the scoring for the visitors in the 10th minute. The home side found their goal eventually though and equalised on 14 minutes through Tom Lawrence.

💥The Scots were not level for long though as my Lyon player to watch - Alexandre Lacazette scored from close range after a misplaced pass from Connor Barron was intercepted by Fofana who set up the Frenchman for his first of the night.

🚀Rangers misery was compounded in first-half stoppage time as Lacazette rifled an unstoppable shot into the far top corner from 20 yards out, leaving the Gers with a mountain to climb in the second half.

🪢The scoring was complete on 55 minutes after Rayan Cherki tied the Gers defence in knots before his ball across goal was tapped home by Malick Fofana for his second of the night.

📊A game even in terms of stats ended in a rout for Lyon as they made the most of their opportunities in front of goal.

Result: FC Dinamo Minsk 1-2 Heart of Midlothian

⛔️Steven Alfred's opener for Minsk was cancelled out by his own teammate Sergey Politevich who headed into his own net from James Penrice's inswinging corner.

👊An even contest was played out in Azerbaijan with an end-to-end game where both sides had chances to score to take the victory.

⌛️However, Yan Dhanda popped up with a last-gasp winner as he headed home Lawrence Shankland's knock down to ensure all 3 points headed back to the Scottish capital and give Hearts the perfect start to their European campaign.

⚽️Gers in Europe #2
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Rangers FC vs Olympique Lyonnais🇫🇷
🏆UEFA Europa League, League Phase - Matchday 2
📅Thursday 3rd October @ 20:00
🏟️Ibrox Stadium - Glasgow, Scotland

Match Preview:
📈Rangers take on French Ligue 1 side Lyon on the second matchday of the UEL. The home side sit 3rd in the Scottish Premiership whilst the visitors are currently 11th in the French top division

👊The head-to-head record has Lyon ahead with two victories to one. Lyon's last visit to Ibrox was in the UEL in 2021 as they played out a 1-1 draw as Rangers went onto reach the final of the competition that year.

💥Meanwhile, a double from Karim Benzema sent Rangers crashing out the Champions League group stage in 2007 after a 3-0 defeat at Ibrox. However, Rangers also beat Lyon 3-0 in France that season and will look to level up the head-to-head record between the sides.

📊Rangers FC Form: WWWWL

Rangers continued their good form after their first win over Malmo whilst a 1-0 win over Hibernian made it 4 games without conceding. Still room for improvement for the side but they have good momentum ahead of the visit from the French giants.

📊Olympique Lyonnais Form: WWLDW

Mixed form sees Lyon sit mid-table in Ligue 1 at the moment but wins in their last two, including a victory over Olympiacos in their UEL opener means that Lyon have confidence as they head to Scotland.

👀Player to Watch:
Rangers FC: Nedim Bajrami🇦🇱
The summer signing from Sassuolo made an instant impact in European football for Rangers after netting in the first minute versus Malmo. In fact he also holds the record for the fastest goal in Euros history. After his goal 23 seconds into the game versus Italy at Euro 2024. The Albanian was on the bench versus Hibernian at the weekend, possibly to rest him ahead of this crunch UEL fixture which he may have a major impact on.

👀Player to Watch:
Olympique Lyonnais: Alexandre Lacazette🇫🇷
The Lyon captain is nearing 200 goals over two spells at the club and will pose a danger to the Rangers defence. However, he is without a goal this campaign so he will be desperate to put an end to his goal drought.

🆚The Match:
European nights at Ibrox are always a special occasion for the players and fans of both sides. An electric atmosphere awaits as both teams battle it out for the points on UEL Matchday 2.

Who will come out on top in Scotland on Thursday night?

⚽️Jambos in Europe #1
🇧🇾FC Dinamo Minsk vs Heart of Midlothian🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
🏆UEFA Conference League, League Phase - Matchday 1
📅Thursday 3rd October 2024 @ 17:45
🏟️Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium - Sumqayit, Azerbaijan

Match Information:
❌Game played behind closed doors due to UEFA ruling in 2022 stated that Belarusian teams would only be allowed to play European ties at a neutral venue with no fans present. This was due to the nation's support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

🇦🇿The game will instead be played in the city of Sumqayit in Azerbaijan, located north of the capital city, Baku. The Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium sits on the edge of the Caspian Sea which separates Azerbaijan from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

✈️Situated in the East of Azerbaijan, the destination for this UECL opening fixture is around 1,700 miles from the Dinamo Stadium in Minsk which also plays home to the Belarus national team.

Match Preview:
🚫The Belarusian champions take on a Hearts side yet to record a win so far this season
⌛️A 90+6 minute equaliser at the weekend from Scottish internationalist Lawrence Shankland prevented Hearts from their 9th loss in a row

📊FC Dinamo Minsk Form: WWLWW

Sitting 2nd in their league but with 3 games in hand on the leaders, Minsk have won 4 out of their last 5 by a 2-0 score line with a 1-0 loss in the middle of those victories. The Belarus outfit welcome the Scots in fairly good form.

📊Hearts Form: DLLLL

The losing run came to an end at the weekend and despite a poor start to the season, fans will hope the change of scenery that comes with European football can give the team confidence as they aim to kickstart their season both in Europe and domestically.

👀Player to Watch:
FC Dinamo Minsk: Ivan Bakhar🇧🇾
The Belarus international has made over 100 appearances for Minsk whilst representing his country on 30 occasions. Predominantly playing on the wing, he will be key to the attacking threat of Minsk against the Hearts rear guard.

👀Player to Watch:
Hearts: Lawrence Shankland🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
The Hearts captain will be pivotal to any success for the Jambos in Azerbaijan. After scoring his 60th Hearts goal at the weekend, he will now look to add to the 2 goals he scored in Hearts last European group stage appearance.

🆚The Match:
Hearts are set for a bizarre opening to their European campaign in the East of Azerbaijan in a muted Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium for this UECL opener.

With both sides essentially playing away from home, who will prevail and take the points back to their home nation?

Result: Hearts 1-1 Ross County

🤝Lawrence Shankland's last-gasp equaliser grabbed a point at Tynecastle as my player to watch Yan Dhanda assisted the equaliser against his former club.

💪Hearts dominated proceedings at Tynecastle with 70% possession but lacked a cutting edge in front of goal, squandering multiple scoring opportunities.

🔜Fortunately for the Jambos, they stopped the rot of 8 consecutive defeats ahead of their Europa Conference League opener versus Belarusian outfit Dinamo Minsk.

⚽️Saturday's Pick #1
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Hearts vs Ross County
🏆Scottish Premiership - Matchday 7
📅Saturday 28th September 2024 @ 15:00
🏟️Tynecastle - Edinburgh

Match Preview:
1⃣12th faces 8th on Matchday 7 of the Scottish Premiership season as managerless Hearts look to pick up their first win of the campaign
❌County have won just 1 of their last 6 meetings with Hearts - a 2-1 win in March 2024

📊Hearts Form: LLLLL

No wins in their last 11 competitive matches led to Steven Naismith losing his job this week. Hearts fans will be hoping for a result to ignite their season, ready for a new permanent manager soon.

📊Ross County: DWLLL

A dramatic 3-3 draw with St Johnstone last weekend continued County's revival since losses to Aberdeen, Rangers and Spartans in the cup as their win over Dundee and 97th minute equaliser vs St Johnstone gives them confidence as they head to the capital.

👀Player to Watch:
Hearts: Yan Dhanda🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
The former County player signed for Hearts this summer and will look to shine after not getting the minutes Hearts fans would have liked for him so far. A meeting with his former club presents an ideal opportunity to kickstart his season.

👀Player to Watch:
Ross County: Jordan White🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
County's target man will aim to inflict more misery on Hearts' season and will cause problems for Hearts' defence at Tynecastle.

🆚The Match:
The Tynecastle crowd anticipates a huge game in their season, a must-win game for Hearts to try take them off the foot of the table, whilst County will look to make it 3 unbeaten.

Who will take the points in the capital this Saturday afternoon? Predictions below👇

⚽️Saturday's Pick #1
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Hearts vs Ross County
🏆Scottish Premiership - Matchday 7
📅Saturday 28th September 2024 @ 15:00
🏟️Tynecastle - Edinburgh

Match Preview:
1⃣12th faces 8th on Matchday 7 of the Scottish Premiership season as managerless Hearts look to pick up their first win of the campaign
❌County have won just 1 of their last 6 meetings with Hearts - a 2-1 win in March 2024

📊Hearts Form: LLLLL

No wins in their last 11 competitive matches led to Steven Naismith losing his job this week. Hearts fans will be hoping for a result to ignite their season, ready for a new permanent manager soon.

📊Ross County: DWLLL

A dramatic 3-3 draw with St Johnstone last weekend continued County's revival since losses to Aberdeen, Rangers and Spartans in the cup as their win over Dundee and 97th minute equaliser vs St Johnstone gives them confidence as they head to the capital.

👀Player to Watch:
Hearts: Yan Dhanda🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
The former County player signed for Hearts this summer and will look to shine after not getting the minutes Hearts fans would have liked for him so far. A meeting with his former club presents an ideal opportunity to kickstart his season.

👀Player to Watch:
Ross County: Jordan White🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
County's target man will aim to inflict more misery on Hearts' season and will cause problems for Hearts' defence at Tynecastle.

🆚The Match:
The Tynecastle crowd anticipates a huge game in their season, a must-win game for Hearts to try take them off the foot of the table, whilst County will look to make it 3 unbeaten.

Who will take the points in the capital this Saturday afternoon? Predictions below👇

Result: Malmö FF 0-2 Rangers FC

1⃣Rangers took the lead 56 seconds into the game as Cyriel Dessers intercepted a loose back pass before rounding the keeper, only to hit the post. The ball however landed to Nedim Bajrami who fired home his first goal for the Gers.

❌Rangers missed glaring opportunities through Václav Černý and Cyriel Dessers as they looked to put the game to bed as Malmö failed to show a cutting edge in front of goal with no shots on target.

✅Ross McCausland sealed the 3 points on 76 minutes after his left-footed shot went in off the post, securing Rangers first victory over Malmö at the 5th attempt.