Team news ahead of Thursday night's Europa League play-off first leg between Hearts and Liverpool at Tynecastle (kick-off 7.45pm).

Hearts are unsure of the availability of goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald for the Europa League play-off first leg against Liverpool.

MacDonald's pregnant partner was admitted to hospital this morning and new signing Peter Enckelman is on standby for his debut.

David Templeton returns from a domestic suspension and Marius Zaliukas has trained after suffering a dead leg in the draw with Inverness.

Liverpool have left Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson on Merseyside.

Also missing from the squad is left-back Jose Enrique, who missed Saturday's defeat at West Brom with a knee injury, and Joe Cole who came off injured at The Hawthorns.

New signing Oussama Assaidi is ineligible as he featured for former club Heerenveen in an earlier round.

Hearts (from): MacDonald, Enckelman, Hamilton, Patterson, Barr, McGowan, Zaliukas, Webster, McHattie, Taouil, Driver, Prychynenko, Holt, Novikovas, Thomson, Walker, Sutton, Grainger, Robinson, Templeton.

Liverpool (from): Reina, Jones, Kelly, Agger, Carragher, Coates, Flanagan, Shelvey, Lucas, Adam, Allen, Henderson, Spearing, Downing, Borini, Carroll, Wilson, Robinson, Sterling, Eccleston.