Head coach Wouter Vrancken insists Hearts will "go for it" as they prepare to start their Champions League qualifying campaign at Sturm Graz on Tuesday.

Last season's Scottish Premiership runners-up take on their Austrian counterparts in the second round of qualifying in what will be Vrancken's first game in charge.

The former St-Truiden and Genk boss replaced Derek McInnes last month and has had a quick turnaround amid a significant squad overhaul.

However, Vrancken says Hearts are "as ready as possible" at this stage of the season to give themselves a good chance of progressing.

"It was a really nice few weeks already with the boys and they were eager to learn," Vrancken told BBC Scotland.

"It's always nice as a manager to see this happening and that they go full on the pitch and put everything in.

"We'll do this [on Tuesday] and against a good side - but, yeah, we go for it."

Meanwhile, Hearts have agreed a deal with Forest Green Rovers for midfielder Laurent Mendy, who is set to become the club's 10th summer signing.

And Vrancken confirmed Harry Milne will lead the side against Sturm on Tuesday (19:30 BST), with injured centre-back Craig Halkett taking over from Lawrence Shankland as club captain.

If Hearts progress past Sturm, they will face either Fenerbahce or Gornik Zabrze in the next round and secure at least Europa League football.

Failure to beat last season's Austrian Bundesliga runners-up - who defeated Rangers at home in the Europa League last October before losing narrowly at Celtic Park - and Hearts will face Benfica or St Gallen of Switzerland in Europa League third-round qualifying.

"The most important thing is that we have a good result [on Tuesday] and that we go full there, and then of course next week at Tynecastle can be a great day," Vrancken added.

It has been 67 days since Hearts last played a competitive match, and it is unlikely they will be involved in anything quite as dramatic as that afternoon at Celtic Park.

They came within minutes of securing their first top-flight title in more than six decades before it slipped out of their grasp.

However, the work done last season has earned Hearts a shot at Champions League football, even if the route to the league phase is long and demanding.

There has also been significant turnover in personnel since May. High-profile departures have seen Cammy Devlin and Shankland make the move to Rangers, following last season's head coach, McInnes.

As a result, a new cast has been assembled at Tynecastle over the past few weeks, tasked with building on a campaign that few associated with the club will ever forget.

Vrancken has arrived and has had little time to settle into his role, while also overseeing a swift recruitment drive to reshape his squad.

The Belgian arrives with an impressive reputation, and those responsible for appointing the 47-year-old are delighted they were able to persuade him to take charge.

Expectations, both among the support and within the club, have risen as the curtain rises on a new campaign.

It would be unfair to judge where this new-look Hearts side stands on the outcome of their tie with Sturm alone, but regardless of the result, a challenging but intriguing season lies ahead.

New captain Halkett remains out with a long-term injury sustained at the end of last season, with Milne taking the armband in his absence.

Amadou Ba-Sy is available after being added to Hearts' European squad.

Vrancken would not confirm whether the striker is ready to start but said he had such an impact in Friday's friendly win against Rayo Vallecano that it would have been a "mistake" not to include him.