HART AND SOUL

WORRIED Valdas Ivanauskas is praying Paul Hartley wins his fitness battle to face AEK Athens on Wednesday because he is the heart and soul of his team.

The Jambos boss badly missed his midfield dynamo for the first three games of the season as they struggled to recreate the flair that made them a force last term.

After leaving it late to win the SPL opener with Dunfermline and drawing a blank against Siroki Brijeg in midweek Valdas has no doubt that Hartley's drive is badly needed.

That's why he is hoping the Scotland star can shrug off a troublesome groin injury in time for Wednesday's Champions League qualifying clash.

And he reckons the day he welcomes the 29-year-old back into his first 11 is the day Hearts get back their heart. Ivanauskas said: "Every day we are waiting for Hartley but I can't say when he will be ready.

"We have missed him very much from the team and he would be especially important in Europe.

"He is not only missing in terms of ability but also in spirit as he is the soul of the Hearts team. He gives us more drive going forward so the whole unit needs him back sooner rather than later.

"But I won't risk his health and the team by throwing him in until he is absolutely ready.

"I will wait until he is the Paul Hartley we saw last season before I let him out again on the pitch. That is for his sake as much as for the team.

"We'll give him every chance to face AEK."

Without Hartley's forward runs in support of the strikers Hearts have looked more disjointed than the fluid side we saw last season.

Maybe it was the absence of that quality which prompted owner Valdimir Romanov to let rip at Jambos' performance in the goalless draw in Bosnia last Wednesday.

When quizzed about the Tynecas-tle supremo's comments which questioned Ivana-sukas' pre-season preparations, the manager coyly used i the old "lost in translation". excuse.

But no matter how hard he may strive to fob it off as heresay there was still a sense of frustration as he defiantly stated the case for his defence in the face of Romanov's ludicrous outburst. Valdas said: "I doubt the translations of his comments.

"We have achieved our target to get to the next round and we are still on course to qualify for the Champions League group stage.

"That is the target of myself, Mr Romanov and every player at this club.

"It was difficult to speak to Mr Romanov after the match in k. Bosnia because we had to go straight for our flight home.

"But I am very comfortable because since the start of the season we haven't lost!"

If Valdas can still say that after today's clash and Wednesday's Champions League qualifying crunch he'll surely have silenced his critics - especially Romanov.

The Champions League group stages is at the heart of everyone's ambitions down Gorgie Road and Ivanauskas is leaving nothing to chance.

Top of his list is educating his stars on the challenges posed by a side from a different culture.

Ivanauskas insists it's impossible to draw any parallels between the Greeks and the challenge posed by the Old Firm because they are cut from a different cloth to anything in Scotland.

So a cultural lesson is in the pipeline this week and among his warnings will be the diving and play-acting that frustrated Hibs and Rangers in their past encounters with this club.

He said: "It is a very different culture that we will be facing with Athens. There are no two teams that are similar to each other so I cannot compare their level of quality to Celtic or Rangers.

"I never played against any Greek teams as a player so it will be a new experience for me but I have learned much about what we will face.

"I will warn the players of certain aspects that they might encounter. That does not necessarily mean I will warn them to beware of diving, maybe I will mention that, but overall I will be more concentrating on tactical aspects.

"This is an important time for us and there is great pressure because we all want to achieve our target of qualifying for the Champions League.

"But there is always pressure on the manager's position and just as we do in any other game we will go out there looking to win."

While Hartley is still battling to be fit for Wednesday, Edgaras Jankauskis and defender Jose Goncalves are also still struggling.

But new signing Christos Karipidis, captured this week from PAOK Salonika, is ready to step in and offer an extra insight into an AEK side he has beaten during his time in the Greek league.

Meanwhile, Hearts striker Juho Makela has revealed he's desperate for a crack at AEK Athens to show their Champions League rivals what they could have had.

Makela's scoring exploits at Helsinki caught the eye of the Greeks last year but they backed out of a deal at the last minute.

Makela said: "AEK wanted me but they didn't want to pay so much. Now I'm at Hearts and it's time to pay them back."

Taken from the Sunday Mail