Hearts enter the Euro lottery

HEARTS could have to beat the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool or Inter Milan if they are to qualify for the lucrative group stages of the Champions League.

The Jambos made history on Wednesday night when a 1-0 triumph over Aberdeen at Tynecastle ensured they would become the first team outwith the Old Firm to represent Scotland in the new format of Europe's Premier club competition. The win was the culmination of a season's hard work achieved against a backdrop of off-field drama that saw two managers sacked and a chief executive and chairman also depart.

Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov has had many critics of his management style but most admitted he would be vindicated if the club achieved its goal of competing in the Champions League next term. Indeed it would seem that the end has justified the means and as the wild celebrations that greeted that achievement begin to die down supporters of the Gorgie club will now be turning their thoughts to some of the mouth-watering teams that could lie in wait for their heroes.

But while it took a massive effort from the Capital club's stars to stave off the challenge from Glasgow giants Rangers in the SPL it looks as though that will be nothing compared to what will be required if the team is to qualify for the tournament proper.

Valdas Ivanauskas' charges will go into the second of three qualifying rounds for the competition where they are likely to be seeded. This means they would avoid most of the big guns at that stage and are likely to be paired with teams from Sweden, Hungary or Cyprus who they would probably be favourites to beat.

However, the real glitz and glamour would start for Hearts in the following round where there is every chance they would face one of the giants of European football. With several league campaigns still underway and indeed the Champions League also still to reach its conclusion on May 17 a definitive list of teams has yet to be finalised but the way things stand at the moment the Hearts support could well be cheering on their side against some of the biggest names in European football.

Real Madrid, complete with Roberto Carlos, Raul, David Beckham and Robino currently sit third in La Liga two points behind Valencia but with a game in hand. Should they fail to overhaul their rivals they would be arguably the biggest name that Hearts could be paired with.

Italian giants Inter Milan are another of the big guns that could be heading for Murrayfield next season and there is little doubt that the prospect of seeing Adriano, Javier Zanetti or Walter Samuel at close quarters would whet the appetites of Hearts fans who missed out on European competition this term after being pipped to a UEFA Cup spot by Hibs.

But a draw against either of the aforementioned teams or a potential "Battle of Britain" against Liverpool would more than make amends for that disappointment.

The prospect of Paul Hartley lining up against Steven Gerrard would surely excite the Jambos faithful and should the Anfield club remain third in the Premiership as they are just now there is every chance of that happening.

Not every possible opponent is quite of the stature of that trio, of course, but even the supposed "easier" teams currently in position to be among the seeded clubs would provide Hearts with a stern test.

Clubs like AEK Athens, Levski Sofia or even Basel - the team Hearts beat 2-1 in Switzerland thanks to a last-gasp Robbie Neilson goal - may not contain household names for Hearts fansbut there is little doubt it would still require a monumental effort for the Jambos to progress.

"Believe" has, however, been the Hearts fans' motto this season and, after watching their side achieve what at the start of the season would have seemed impossible, they'll be in no mood to give up their faith just yet.

• THE Jambos kick off their European campaign on July 25 or 26 with the first leg of the second qualifying round. The draw is made on June 23.
Provisional list of teams
Qualifying Rnd 2
Seeded:

1 Basel (Swi)
2 Levski Sofia (Bul)
3 Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr)
4 Galatasaray (Tur)
5 Rapid Bucuresti (Rom)
6 Spartak Moscow (Rus)
7 Dinamo Zagreb (Cro)
8 Crvena Zvezda (Ser)
9 Hearts (Sco)
10 Teplice (Cze)
11 København (Den)
12 Legia (Pol)
13 Artmedia (Svk)
14 Vålerenga (Nor)
Unseeded:

15 Djurgården (Swe)
16 Salzburg (Aus)
17 Domzale (Slo)
18 Újpest (Hun)
19 MyPa (Fin)
20 Apollon (Cyp)
21 Široki Brijeg (Bos)
22 Hafnarfjördur (Ice)
23 Metalurgs (Lat)
24 Sheriff (Mol)
25 Sioni (Geo)
26 Ekranas (Lit)
27 Birkirkara (Mal)
28 Rabotnicki (Mac)
Rnd 3 seeds

1 Real Madrid (Spa)
2 Internazionale (Ita)
3 Liverpool (Eng)
4 Ajax (Neth)
5 Lille (Fra)
6 Benfica (Por)
7 Basel (Swi)
8 Werder Bremen (Ger)
9 CSKA Moscow (Rus)
10 AEK Athens (Gre)
11 Dynamo Kyiv (Ukr)
12 Levski Sofia (Bul)*
13 Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr)*
14 Galatasaray (Tur)*
15 Rapid Bucuresti (Rom)*
16 Slovan Liberec (Cze)

*If they progress from round two

Taken from the Scotsman