Gian-Luca Privitelli reckons Claudio Braga and Josh McPake are the men his team need to keep quiet in order to get a result

FC Thun coach Gian-Luca Privitelli has singled out Claudio Braga and Josh McPake as two of Hearts ’ biggest threats, writes Scott Burns in Switzerland.

The Swiss champions will look to put their first Conference League points on the board against the Jambos in the Visana Stadium tomorrow evening.

Privitelli has done his homework and reckons Hearts’ strength is going forward with Braga, supported by wingers McPake and Calvin Miller.

However, Miller is set to miss the game through injury with Sabah Kerjota likely to replace him.

He said: "It's going to be a very tough game. I have the impression that our opponents are a very good, modern-style team with very good moves.

“They have excellent wingers and strikers. We think the two wingers and the strikers are good players. In midfield, they use the ball well. There are four or five players we studied a bit more, but it's about the whole team and the style. We are ready with our style to bring a good challenge.

“They play a good pressing game and they are very intense in the duels. In a nutshell, they really show their Scottish blood, so it's going to be a challenge.

"My analyst had one contact, I think. We saw the games against Hibs, Rangers and Trabzonspor. We saw all the games.

“A few new players will come in and we won't know them so much because there will be some players with not a lot of minutes. Not all the games were the same but we prepared from this.”

Wouter Vrancken’s squad is down to the bare bones but Thun have injury issues of their own. Fabio Saiz, Genis Montolio and Mats Seiler are out and there is a doubt over Louis Passavant

Privitelli confirmed: "Knowing Hearts have more injured players doesn't change our gam plan. You also have injured players but, on our side, it's not a big change.

“We have some long-term injured players, including one new injury, but we need to focus on our strengths and we won't change our game plan.”

The Thun coach knows this is a game where his team needs to take three points.

He insisted: “Every game is a must-win game, whether it is the league or the Conference League.

“That's how it is but we focus on our performance. We did well in the last two games and we are looking forward.

“We want to get three points here at home to help us in the Conference League.”

More than 1,000 Hearts fans will be in Thun for the game. Privitelli is confident it won’t derail his team having had the hostile support of Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb in recent European games

He explained: "We had a home game against Hajduk so we were good to play at home against almost half of the stadium. There will be less fans than Hajduk and Dinamo Zagreb so we will be ready. That's no problem

Thun captain Marko Burki is one of the defenders who will be charged with keeping Braga quiet.

The experienced centre half admitted: “We saw some images on how they are going to play and the style and what they try to do.

“We are going to bring our game on the pitch and we will see who has the better game plan or mentality.

“We know they have qualities, this is an international game but we are in the Conference League and want to win the game. We don't play to be here, we play to win.”

Both sides have struggled to keep clean sheets in recent games but Burki is looking to buck that Thun trend against Hearts.

He joked: “Hopefully not. I'm a central defender so I want to keep zero goals. We have to improve in this part.

“We did not bad in two Conference League games so we need to keep that going.

“We can score so the most important is a clean sheet.”