Critchley Urges Hearts to Mirror Celtic’s European Victory Against German Foes

Neil Critchley has called upon Hearts to replicate Celtic’s European achievement by also defeating Bundesliga opposition when they host Heidenheim in the Conference League. On Tuesday, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic secured a 3-1 comeback win against RB Leipzig at Parkhead during their Champions League fixture. Concurrently, Hearts, boasting a record of three victories from their last four encounters with German clubs at Tynecastle, seeks to extend their flawless start in the Conference League on Thursday. “I watched that game last night and I thought Celtic were very good,” Critchley stated. He added, “A similar result would be nice. Celtic were fully deserving of their victory, so hopefully we can be the next Scottish team to win against German opposition.” Hearts has encountered Czech, Belarusian, and Cypriot teams during their European campaign to date, but Critchley noted that the upcoming match against a German team, the first for the Tynecastle club in two decades, generates additional excitement. Heidenheim is participating in European competition for the first time, having concluded last season in eighth place during their inaugural Bundesliga campaign, following a notable ascent from the German seventh tier. Their manager, Frank Schmidt, has led the team since 2007, a period when they were competing in the fifth tier, and his squad currently holds the 12th position in Germany’s premier division. Critchley further stated, “It does create that little bit more anticipation in the type of game you might be playing and seeing how good they are.” He concluded, “We know we’re in for a big test, but if we can play the game we want to play then we know it’ll be a really good game.”