Europa League tie at Hibernians Ground on cards for Hearts
The Hibernians Ground in Paola, home of Maltese league club Hibernians, played host for Hearts’ potential second qualifying round opponents Birkirkara in their victory over Široki Brijeg tonight.
The Maltese club, who defeated the Bosnian club 3-1 on aggregate, are set to play the victor of the Hearts v FC Infonet tie with Robbie Neilson’s side currently holding the advantage after a 2-1 win against their Estonian opponents at Tynecastle last week.
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Hide AdA goal from Birkirkara right back Cain Attard was cancelled out by Siroki Brijeg attacking midfielder Ivan Baraban in the first leg, but a strike from Birkirkara attacking midfielder Srdjan Dimitrov and an own-goal from Stipo Markovic was enough to help the hosts progress in the second leg.
If Hearts eliminate Infonet tomorrow evening, the first leg against Birkirkara – edged out by West Ham on penalties in last season’s competition – is scheduled to be on Thursday, July 14 with the return leg at Tynecastle seven days later.
The second qualifying round will also include Capital rivals Hibs, who look set to play Brondby IF after the Danes dismantled their first-round opponents Valur, 4-1 in the first leg in Reykjavik.