I'LL GAMBLE ON PAUL

HEARTS boss Valdas Ivanauskas is set to take the biggest gamble of his managerial career tonight by pitching Paul Hartley in against AEK Athens.

Ivanauskas confirmed last night that the Scotland midfielder will start in the Olympic Stadium as Hearts go for broke in their Champions League qualifier. Hartley hasn't started a game since May's Scottish Cup Final and played only 20 minutes against Rangers last weekend as he made his comeback from a groin injury picked up in pre-season training.

In total, he has only 65 minutes of match action behind him, 45 of them in a low-key friendly against Gretna. But Ivanauskas is ready to turn Hartley loose on the Greeks as Hearts bid to overturn a 2-1 first-leg defeat.

The Jambos need to score at least twice if they are to join Celtic in the group stage and net a potential cash windfall of around £6million.

Ivanauskas reckons fielding Hartley is a risk worth taking, particularly with Bruno Aguiar banned, and was backed by skipper Steven Pressley.

The head coach said: "My feeling now is, yes, Paul will start the game. Of course, it is a gamble but it's one we have to consider.

"Paul's experience as a national team player means he is ready for every fight although we know we must also be careful for the future."

Pressley said: "It's not a risk as Paul wouldn't play unless he was ready. He may lack fixtures and match practice but his adrenalin will take him through. It'll be great to see him back if he plays."

Hearts travelled to Athens yesterday without striker Roman Bednar, who has an ankle injury, and fellow frontmen Michal Pospisil and Edgaras Jankauskas are also struggling for fitness.

Ivanauskas shrugged off speculation about his future if Hearts fail to progress in the Champions League but Vladimir Romanov has already told him he'll be given time denied his predecessors.

Ivanauskas said: "Yes, there's pressure, but there's pressure before every game.

I've not spoken with Mr Romanov about the situation but I'm staying calm.

"No manager has job security and I'm ready for everything, always, but that's normal in the manager's job.

"The first game was not so good but I'm not worried about my own situation.

"I'm optimistic because if you are pessimistic it's not good for yourself or the team. I know this will be a very difficult game and we need to score goals against a very clever and experienced side. However, discipline is equally important so we must also be careful."

Pressley vowed the players will give it their all. He said: "Very few people gave us hope when we went to Bordeaux and Basel but we produced fantastic results and performances.

"We're definitely here as underdogs but make no mistake we've come here with the intention to win.

"I'm sure they'll be confident after the first leg but if we can score it will change the game.

"I'm sure they'll be looking to kill off the tie early with a goal in the first 20 minutes.

We have to be aware of that and play to win but also with an element of caution."

Taken from the Daily Record