MIDFIELD CRISIS LEAVES PAUL ALL ALONE

HEARTS could face Sparta Prague with Paul Hartley as their only recognised midfield star.

Lithuanian wide man Saulius Mikoliunas has been told he is suspended for the UEFA Cup clash at Murrayfield on Thursday.

He picked up two yellow cards in the Champions League qualifiers against Siroki Brijeg and AEK Athens and UEFA have confirmed he misses the first leg against the Czechs.

He will join Neil McCann and Julien Brellier on the sidelines after their red cards in Athens to leave the Jambos short on numbers in the middle of the park.

Portuguese playmaker Bruno Aguiar is struggling with a calf injury and Deividas Cesnauskis is still recovering from a virus.

Lithuanian new boy Marius Zeliukas is cup-tied after playing in the previous round of the UEFA Cup with FBK Kaunas.

The door could now be open for Bosnian misfit Mirsad Beslija to make a rare start in the week he admitted he will quit the club in January if he's not a first-team regular.

Assistant boss John McGlynn said: "Miko's bookings mean he must sit out this game with Julien and Neil. They make up three-quarters of our mid-field and it leaves us with only Paul Hartley at this stage.

"Bruno only did light running in training today so he's racing against the clock, as is Deividas, who picked up a virus that forced him to miss the Scotland game last week and our match against St Mirren.

"We would certainly like to have them available to face Sparta and we'll give them every chance.

"We'll need to play well against Sparta. They are not as good as AEK but they are still decent opposition."

McGlynn took in Sparta's 2-0 defeat of Tescoma Zlin on Saturday, their first win under new coach Michal Bilek.

He has warned the Hearts defence to be aware of 6ft 6ins frontman Libor Dosek, who scored both goals in a second-half substitute appearance.

McGlynn added: "He's the same type as Jan Koller - a big target man, though not especially aggressive. But his height alone could cause any teams problems and he won everything in the air. He also looked reasonably mobile and his first goal was a swivel and shot from the edge of the box.

"Sparta's is a tidy stadium and the fans are almost on top of the players, just like Tynecastle.

"But there were times on Saturday when the fans seemed to be waiting on the team to do something to get them excited and there were even a few boos when the players left the pitch at half time."

Taken from the Daily Record