Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland in Lisbon

It's clear to see that this Benfica team are a class above Hearts. Even in these early stages, they have been able to cut open the visitors defence time after time.

And, when they lose possession, they go hunting to get the ball back. A top-class team.

Hibs have an attempt of their own as Jason Kerr races into the box in an attempt to get a touch on Adam Mayor's cross.

The defender can't get a decent contact and the ball goes behind for a goal kick to the visitors.

Fabrice Tamba tries to get the visitors in front with a strike from the edge of the Hibs box, but the midfielder's low effort is wide of the target.

Another chance for Benfica as the ball is worked to the right, where Leandro Barreiro has room to shoot.

He tries to laser it low, but big Beau Reus is down quickly.

The signs are ominous.

Andy Halliday
Former Hearts midfielder on BBC Sportsound

It's a fantastic goal from Benfica.

Hearts are playing a 4-4-2, trying to be compact and force Benfica wide. But the rotations when they get it wide...

It's so well worked and the cut back is slotted in. Hearts need to try to navigate the first 10 minutes and they're already 1-0 down.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland in Lisbon

It only took 144 seconds and Benfica take the lead. This is going to be one long night in Lisbon!

And within two minutes, Benfica test Beau Reus.

Hearts give the ball away on the edge of their own box through Jordi Altena and Gianluca Prestianni curls one low, but it's palmed away.

We are also under way in Leith...

Romanian referee Marian Barbu peeps his whistle and we are under way in Lisbon, with Benfica in their traditional red and white and Hearts in their light grey away kit.

Will it be a historical night? And will that be for the right or wrong reasons?

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland at Easter Road

It's rarely easy for Scottish teams in Europe as we all know and this is a test for Hibernian.

On the flip side, what an incentive they have to move towards potential group-stage football for the first time ever.

A European place is hard earned over the course of a campaign. They won't want to throw it away here with home advantage there to be capitalised on.

Benfica are ranked 18th in Uefa's club coefficient rankings, a massive 120 places above Hearts, such is the task facing tonight's visitors.

They reached the knockout phase of the Champions League under Jose Mourinho after victories over Ajax, Napoli and Real Madrid before Real got their revenge in the play-off round with a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Mourinho has since returned to Los Blancos and been replaced in the Benfica dugout by former Everton and Fulham boss Marco Silva.

Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis is a prolific goalscorer, netting 30 times in all competitions last season, while Norway's Andreas Schjelderup and Rafa Silva are dangerous wingers.

Pavlidis also comes into this game in good form having scored four as Benfica thrashed St Gallen 5-0 in the second leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie to seal a 6-2 aggregate success.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland in Lisbon

Hearts striker Claudio Braga said at his media conference that "nothing is impossible", but the task that lies ahead of his team can almost be put into that category.

Around 2,000 Hearts fans have made the trip to Lisbon and, without fear of contradiction, they arrive with hope rather than expectation of a victory.

In some ways this is all about this Hearts team trying to rebuild confidence that must be shattered by what happened in the past few months. Football can be very unforgiving but also unpredictable.

Hearts fans tonight are hoping ‘mission impossible’ can be accomplished.

Image source, SNS

After finishing as runners-up in the Macedonian First Football League, Artim Pollozhani's Shkendija have already come through two Conference League qualifying rounds.

They defeated Gibraltar's Europa 6-0 over two legs but faced a much sterner test against Slovenia's Bravo. A 2-1 first-leg deficit was overturned in Skopje, with a 3-1 home-leg victory.

Shkendija's squad is primarily homegrown with a smattering of foreign players such as Brazilian Rafa, Gabon forward Fahd Ndzengue and Gambia goalkeeper Baboucarr Gaye.

Former North Macedonia striker Besart Ibraimi is club captain and at 39 is their most experienced player.

Last season, Shkendija reached the league phase of the Conference League and progressed to the knockout play-off round, losing heavily on aggregate to Turkey's Samsunspor.

Image source, SNS

Hibs head coach David Gray tells BBC Scotland: "It's great Boyle has managed to be available. We know what he brings. He's very experienced and has been a very important player for this club for a very long time, but we need him to be at his very best tonight.

"An extra day recovery is a big thing for us as well. The players looked bright in training and this is what it's all about, these European nights.

"It's a different way of playing [being at home first] - you can't go gung ho because there's still a lot more football to be played. No matter what the score is tonight there's still another 90 minutes.

"There's a real buzz about playing in Europe, that's what it's about."

Image source, SNS

Derek McInnes adds: "We need to be far more concentrated, far more focused, far more aggressive, far more talkative and organised to stop these types of things happening.

"We've seen a lot tonight of what I thought Rangers were last season.

"I thought they gave up too many chances and gave teams too much encouragement.

"Having watched them, I knew it would be a tough game, particularly here at home and they're a strong side in a strong Polish league, but I still expect us to come here and win the game, and we're disappointed that we haven't."

Rangers manager Derek McInnes tells BBC Scotland: "I just felt we beat ourselves, to be honest.

"I thought we started the game really well with an element of control. The team we picked was to make sure that their rotations in midfield weren't a problem for us - and they weren't.

"I thought our three that were fine in there at times.

"We got off to a good start, a good bit of combination play, being patient with what we were trying to do and putting a bit of stress on our defender to defend the situation.

"And obviously, he scores an own goal and it's a perfect start. And then we stopped doing what was working for us.

"We made two mistakes for the two goals."

Image source, SNS

Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken tells BBC Scotland: "In sport, anything can happen. We have to be realistic, of course. We're playing a top European team.

"Laurent Mendy was playing fifth tier in England a few weeks ago and now he's playing Benfica. That's football and we have to put everything on the pitch and stick together.

"When you press them, you have to be perfect. You cannot leave spaces.

"They're comfortable on the ball, they will play through the gaps. It will be difficult, but we have to take our moments to try and play football."

Image source, SNS

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland in Lisbon

The pre-match show here in Lisbon is well and truly under way and, despite the stadium only being around half-full at the moment, the atmosphere is really cranking up.

Not sure how these Hearts players will cope with this. A huge task tonight.