Andy Halliday reveals Hearts Europa League draw he'd rather avoid as he welcomes Tynecastle pressure

Andy Halliday is relishing his return to Europe with Hearts, but admits there’s one potential opponent he wants to avoid.

The versatile midfielder penned a two-year contract extension last season, safe in the knowledge that the Jambos were returning to the continent. Third place combined with a place in the Scottish Cup final meant Robbie Neilson’s team guaranteed themselves group stage football until November. The hope is that it’s in the Europa League, but there’s always the safety net of the Europa Conference League.

Halliday sampled some big nights in the former while playing for Rangers. Euro nights return to Tynecastle for the first time since 2016, when Neilson suffered an embarrassing defeat to Maltese minnows Birkirkara. The Europa League play-off round draw takes place next Tuesday, with the ties to be played on August 18 and 25 respectively. The names Hearts could face include the likes of Fenerbahce and Olympiacos, but there’s one side from his Ibrox days that Halliday would prefer not to see again.

“Me and the boys have all been speculating on who we could get,” he said. “You saw all the names of our potential European opponents. I’ve managed to play quite a few European ties now and had a few experiences so I was looking at who we might face.

"I don’t want Shkupi because I’ve played there. I would obviously like to play a team I haven’t played before in a different country. You look at some of the clubs in there: Fenerbahce is known for a great atmosphere, as is Olympiakos, Partizan Belgrade is another really famous one.

“It will be great experience for the boys who have and haven’t played in Europe, even the international players. It’s really exciting times for this club.”

Hearts kick-off the 2022/23