Levein returns to Tynecastle on a mission

Craig Levein served Hearts as a player, manager over two spells and director of football, and he has been back at Tynecastle as a pundit, but Saturday will be first time he has visited as an opposition manager since he was with Dundee United.

Saints don’t enjoy coming to Tynecastle having lost seven of their last eight league visits to the stadium and six places and six points separate Hearts and Saturday’s visitors ahead of kick-off (15.00) in this cinch Premiership clash.

The Men in Maroon sit in fourth spot in the 12-strong cinch Premiership with 17 points from 12 games, a record which includes five wins, two draws and five defeats.

The Perth side are tenth with 11 points from 12 fixtures, winning two, drawing five and losing five.

However, Saints have upped their game in recent weeks, winning twice and drawing the other.

Indeed, it was a second-half strike from Graham Carey which provided a massive boost, earning the Perth combine a 1-0 victory over Ross County at McDiarmid Park and it also moved them off the bottom of the table.

Levein (pictured during his spell with Hearts) will be looking to continue that upward movement but Hearts have won two and lost one of their last three games and, overall, the Edinburgh side have scored 12 league goals and conceded the same number.

Saints have scored eight and let in 18 and have taken up their full allocation of tickets for the trip to Tynecaslte.

Jambos head coach Steven Naismith will, however, have the backing of a sell-out Hearts crowd cheer on the team which goes into the game after a 2-1 victory at Motherwell thanks to a double from Lawrence Shankland, his goals coming after 27 and 71 minutes.