Wouter Vrancken has inherited a club that saw a historic league championship slip away during the final 10 minutes of last season. Since then, the team have lost their influential captain and leading striker, as well as their standout midfielder, while the squad has undergone significant changes.
His first competitive assignment was a Champions League qualifier against experienced European opponents Sturm Graz, which ended in a 6-0 aggregate defeat. Hearts then conceded twice in stoppage time at Aberdeen and lost their opening league fixture.
The next challenge is a Europa League qualifying encounter with Benfica.
The Portuguese heavyweights host Hearts on Thursday at 20:00 BST, continuing a demanding start for the club’s new Belgian head coach. Progressing to the next round appears to be a difficult task.
There have been promising moments in all three matches since Vrancken took charge, and victory at Pittodrie on Saturday would have provided a major lift in confidence.
Instead, the manner of the late defeat has increased concerns among supporters that the campaign could begin to fall apart before it has truly gained momentum.
Travelling to Lisbon for a meeting with Marco Silva’s Benfica offers a high-profile occasion, but it also brings the danger of another heavy European loss as Vrancken continues working to identify his strongest starting lineup.
The 38-time Portuguese title winners recorded home victories over Napoli and Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League before reaching the knockout rounds. Real later eliminated them and have subsequently appointed Jose Mourinho as head coach.
Benfica have not yet started their domestic campaign after placing third in the league last season, although they overcame Swiss club St Gallen across two legs to advance to this phase of Europa League qualification.
After suffering a 2-1 loss in Switzerland, Benfica responded with an emphatic 5-0 second-leg victory last Thursday. Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis scored four of their five goals.
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