Heart of Midlothian vs Rosenborg odds and betting statistics
Heart of Midlothian vs Rosenborg recommended bets
Heart of Midlothian vs Rosenborg match preview
Following last Thursday’s first leg at Trondheim, this tie is perfectly-poised as the two reconvene in Edinburgh.
By half time, Rosenborg looked set to cruise through to the play-offs, leading 2-0, with Emil Frederiksen breaking the deadlock early, before Jayden Nelson added a second in stoppage time.
But, with 20 minutes to play, Alex Cochrane’s looping cross was headed home by Lawrence Shankland, sparking wild celebrations from the traveling contingent behind that goal.
2-1 it finished at Lerkendal Stadion, leaving the tie in the balance, with both believing they can get through.
Heart of Midlothian featured in the group stages of this competition just last season, experiencing group phase football for the first time in 18 years.
However, the Jambos have won just two of their last ten two-legged qualifiers, so it would be a major achievement if Steven Naismith’s men got through this one.
Hearts are unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership and are yet to concede a goal, beating St Johnstone 2-0 at McDiarmid Park before Sunday’s goalless stalemate with Kilmarnock.
The Jambos will need to continue that defensive solidity if they’re to pull off a comeback here.
Rosenborg meantime are Norway’s most-successful club, having won 26 Eliteserien titles, that’s 17 more than anybody else, although they haven’t won the league for four years, their longest draught since the early ‘80s.
As a result, the Troillongan have featured in 18 UEFA group stages, although the most-recent of those was in 2019, ousted in the play-off round by PSV Eindhoven and Sade Rennais subsequently.
Svein Maalen remains in interim charge, following Kjetil Rekdal’s sacking in June, with Rosenborg currently eighth in the Norwegian top-flight, having played 18 of 30 matches.
The Troll Children, which is a fantastic nickname by the way, required extra time to oust Crusaders from Northern Ireland in the previous round, so Hearts should not fear this team at all.
Will it be a famous European night at Tynecastle?
The winners of this tie will take on PAOK or Hajduk Split in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs.
Heart of Midlothian team news
Steven Naismith made four changes for Sunday’s stalemate against Kilmarnock, but all the big guns will be back in here.
Lawrence Shankland will be leading the line, having bagged the crucial goal back in Norway last Thursday.
In-behind Alex Lowry, who’d only arrived from Rangers on loan a few days earlier, was thrown straight into the XI for the first leg.
Liam Boyce will be on the bench, having made his first appearance for almost exactly a year against St Johnstone earlier this month, and he’s a great option, if the Jambos need a goal late on.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Clark; Atkinson, Rowles, Kent, Cochrane; Devlin, Baningime, Lowry; Oda, Forrest, Shankland.
Rosenborg team news
The Troillongan were not in action at the weekend, so Svein Maalen’s team will be well-rested.
Leo Cornic could come back in for Adam Andersson at right-back, while Jayden Nelson, who bagged the second last Thursday, was once touted as a Canadian wonder-kid.
Striker Ísak Snær Þorvaldsson has only scored once in 2023, but this was the decisive goal against Crusaders in the previous round.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Hansen; Cornic, Dahl Reitan Jenssen, Pereira; Pereira; Børkeeiet, Nypan, Holse; Frederiksen, Þorvaldsson, Nelson.