Rosenborg boss busts Hearts 'myth' and doesn't expect any rough stuff from the Jambos in Euro clash

Rosenborg boss Sven Maalen has dismissed the notion that Hearts are a big, physical team as a "myth."

The Jambos take on the Norwegians in the first leg of the Europa Conference League third qualifying round first leg at the Lerkendal Stadion on Thursday evening. Steven Naismith and Frankie McAvoy's men are fresh from an opening day win over St Johnstone to kick off their Premiership season.

Despite sitting eighth in the Eliteserien, the hosts are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions, including a 5-4 aggregate win over Crusaders in the last round. The Northern Irish outfit, as well as Haugesunds at the weekend, Odds BK and Tromso have all had players sent off against Rosenborg in recent weeks. But Maalen doesn't expect any rough stuff from Hearts as he shot down the theory that the capital club like to get physical.

“In my opinion, they like to play football on the grass with smart combinations and playing through their midfield to get to the box," he said. "Physical, strong, yes, and they can be hard in the duals, but I think we will have a lot of football on the ground tomorrow.

“This is a chance for us to play European matches, get experience and a chance to qualify for the group stages later. In my opinion, Hearts is a higher level opponent than Crusaders. They are a very special team and extremely good in some situations, but tomorrow we have a completely different type of playing style.

“Hearts have a good, all-round squad. We see some situations where we should be extra aware. They have players good at crosses, a striker who can attack spaces in the box, very offensive full-backs, I could mention a lot. We think we need to be aware of the whole team, their combinations and ability to play in different ways.”

Scotland dramatically beat Norway with two late goals in Oslo back in June. Like the Scandinavian nation, Maalen reckons there's a change in perception of Scottish football. he added: “I have seen Celtic and a little bit of Hearts. What I can say is some of the myths are a culture in football. Norwegian football was renowned for being very physical for a lot of years, even during periods where we were not strong physically.

“But you know, a lot of us come from the same background – we are relatives. My DNA shows I am a little bit from Scotland – you can see from my hair. So I think Scottish football has changed a little bit.

“In the Eliteserien, I don’t see anyone playing like Hearts do. Hearts play a 4-4-2 formation. Some years ago a lot of Norwegian teams played like Hearts do now, but now I don’t see many teams doing that in Norway. So we do need to adapt and find opportunities in their style of play, and we have seen some.

“We also need to respect that we are meeting a team with a lot of experience, general experience but also experience of playing in Europe. The mental game in Europe is a little bit different and we need to learn fast, but I think we have that ability.”