WE'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR LACK OF RESPECT

SPARTA PRAGUE coach Michal Bilek last night vowed to make Hearts pay for failing to show his side enough respect.

The Czechs' boss claimed the Jambos under-estimated his side in the first leg of their UEFA Cup tie at Murrayfield - and it cost them a 2-0 defeat. Now Bilek has vowed to complete the job at the Letna Stadium tonight.

The Scottish Cup holders must score at least twice to advance to the group stage and they are confident they can become the first club from these shores to come from behind after a home defeat and win through to the next round of European competition.

Bilek admires their optimism but has told them they might not have been facing Mission Improbable had they given Sparta sufficient credit a fortnight ago.

He said: "We played perfectly in Scotland and, at the same time, Hearts may have underestimated us slightly.

"It was pretty obvious Hearts wanted to win through to the Champions League but their failure against AEK Athens put paid to that.

"As a result, maybe they didn't show enough motivation when they played us. We dominated the match and perhaps underestimation from our opponents was one of the reasons for that.

"It was a great performance from us. We covered the whole pitch and the players performed smartly and showed the way to go. Any time your team plays as well aswe did in Scotland it's a big motivation and stimulus for your performances to get even better.

"The result in the first leg was a big boost in helping to improve our position generally."

Sparta went into the game at Murrayfield as a club in crisis after sacking head coach Stanislav Griga only a fortnight earlier following a poor start to their league season. Former player Bilek scrambled wins in his first two matches but the victory in Edinburgh has proved a turning point as they went on to win their next three games.

Striker Miroslav Matusovic, who netted the killer second at Murrayfield, has also credited Hearts for helping to turn round the fortunes of his club.

He said: "A number of factors have played their part but the breakthrough came that night in Edinburgh - we played perfectly and if we perform to the same standard in the second leg wewill progress to the group stage."

However, Hearts have also recovered from the form slump that saw them lose to St Mirren in the SPL before that tame, under-par first-leg performance.

Hearts have wondered openly how the Czechs will approach the tie but Bilek insists they will not be caught between caution and abandon.

He said: "This return game is not just about defence.

"We want to score as soon as possible. However, our main aim is not to concede any goals whatsoever.

"I'm sure Hearts will also play pretty aggressively and they have good offensive power, especially in Roman Bednar and Mauricio Pinilla.

"If we give them enough space they are capable of scoring from a variety of positions so we've got to be on the ball to eliminate the threat of these dangermen."

Bilek laughed off Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov's claims that the Czechs of launched "physical attacks" against his side in the first leg.

Bilek said: "We knew Hearts were a very tough team and if we wanted to succeed against them we needed to be equally as tough. It was a hard game, but it was fair.

"We certainly believe we can win through to the group stage although I'm also fully aware it'll be a difficult match as Hearts have had some good wins recently and are also back in form. But we won't be underestimating them, that's for sure."

Taken from the Daily Record