Tottenham head to Hearts to kick off season with an eye on next term

• We can win, that's why we are here, says Paulo Sérgio
• Spurs will 'do a Liverpool' if they get through play-off

Ewan Murray

The strength of Harry Redknapp's XI will endorse or disprove the theory that Hearts' meeting with Tottenham Hotspur has triggered excitement levels on only one side of the border. There is no questioning the appetite for the tie in Edinburgh as the home side, as is rare in this era, are involved in a fixture that has more prominence than those of Rangers and Celtic on the same evening.

Yet the lingering sense is that Spurs have a wider focus. The postponement of last weekend's Premier League opener against Everton means Monday's meeting with Manchester United has taken on greater significance for the Spurs manager. A raft of injuries add to the intrigue of how much he is willing to risk against the potential for damaged pride at Tynecastle.

The Spurs manager is on record as playing down how important the Europa League is to him even though, and unsurprisingly, he altered that view slightly on the eve of the trip to Scotland. "It was a blow when the Everton game was off but there was nothing we could do," Redknapp said. "We are ready to play now and it will be a tough game – they are not a bad side and it's an intimidating place to go."

Nonetheless, Redknapp's pre-match discussion was dominated by talk of high-profile arrivals at White Hart Lane rather than the nuances of Hearts. "We had one year in the Champions League but we cannot say we're a Champions League club – the players are not going to start to want to leave because they are not playing in it," the Tottenham manager said.

"We're in this competition now and want to get through this play-off. I'll look to play some of the younger ones if we get through, like Liverpool did last season."

Redknapp's caveat, though, was telling. "The most important thing is the league and I want to finish in the top four. It's going to be tough because three [places] are probably already taken."

Tom Huddlestone, Luka Modric, William Gallas, Jermaine Jenas, Sandro and Wilson Palacios are among those whom Redknapp cannot call upon because of fitness problems. Aaron Lennon, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart are almost certain to feature at Tynecastle.

Hearts have no such resources for this, their most eagerly awaited home European fixture since Bayern Munich were defeated 1-0 in a Uefa Cup quarter-final first leg at Tynecastle in 1989.

The gap in talent and finance between these respective clubs will be demonstrated by a glance at the team sheet, regardless of which players Redknapp finally decides upon.

Even spirited resistance to the Tottenham players would provide a boost to Scottish football in this, its latest troublesome season against overseas opposition. Few who have watched Hearts in the early weeks of the SPL campaign hold out genuine hope of an upset, although teams from England have struggled in the past when making forays north.

"Every professional in football lives for big moments and I'm no different," said Paulo Sérgio, the Hearts manager. "I would like all of Harry Redknapp's players to be fit to play in this game but unfortunately – first of all for them – they have some players injured. Maybe we rely more on our players who are injured than they do."

The Portuguese coach conceded even those within his own squad who are short of fitness are keen to play in the double-header, with the second leg due at White Hart Lane next Thursday.

Whatever Hearts lack in talent they aim to make up for with hunger, and Sérgio refuses to be downbeat. "Nobody should think that we can't win or that we're defeated because we're not," said the former Sporting Lisbon manager.

"Our chances are less than Tottenham's and I don't think anyone will bet on us, but maybe the guy who bets on us will win big money. We have a chance and if we win then it's not the first time there has been an upset. We can compete, that's why we're in the competition, and that's what we're going to do. We recognise Spurs are favourites, no doubt about that, but we want to compete with the best."

Redknapp shrugged off another potential cause for Hearts optimism, with the Spurs party unable to book into an Edinburgh hotel. Tottenham will travel to Tynecastle from St Andrews - and not train at the stadium before kick-off - after the annual Edinburgh festival meant a shortage of suitable accommodation in the Scottish capital.

"When I was at Bournemouth we had six-hour coach journeys on a Saturday morning," Redknapp said. Whether his main aim is to avoid an embarrassing trip home on Thursday night, or further injuries, remains to be seen.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer