McKenna set to start for Jambos

PAUL KIDDIE

HEARTS star Kevin McKenna is set to start his first game of the season when he spearheads the Jambos attack in tomorrow’s vital UEFA Cup tie against Braga in Portugal.

The Canadian has only just returned to training following a knee operation but boss Craig Levein has been hit by an injury crisis to his strikers and is set to turn to the 24-year-old as he looks to snatch an away goal in the Estadio Nacional.

Levein admits it is something of a risk given McKenna’s lengthy absence but the Hearts boss is hoping that the magnitude of the occasion will carry him through.

"The problem is I don’t know how long Kevin will last but with Mark de Vries struggling as well as Ramon Pereira, he looks our best bet at the moment. He will give it his all and work extremely hard as he always does and we’ll just have to see how we get on."

Levein, meanwhile, has warned his players to be wary of Braga’s con men - and demanded strong refereeing in tomorrow’s do-or-die UEFA Cup tie.

The Jambos will be defending a 3-1 advantage from the first leg at Murrayfield with a place in the money-spinning group stages at stake.

Slovakian whistler Anton Stredak has been appointed to the showdown, which is set to attract a crowd of more than 25,000.

Levein is concerned the Braga stars will again try to influence decisions with their play-acting, the Hearts boss having been particularly infuriated by the antics of goalkeeper Paulo Santos at Murrayfield, the former Porto star continually falling to the ground feigning injury.

Bulgarian referee Anton Genov refused to be fooled by the behaviour of the visitors and Levein is hoping tomorrow’s man in charge is just as competent in what promises to be an intimidating atmosphere.

Speaking before boarding the club’s special charter plane at Edinburgh Airport, the Hearts boss said: "We need somebody strong to referee the match tomorrow. We saw the antics of their goalkeeper in the last game when he threw himself about and was diving all over the place."

There was a welcome sight for Hearts fans at the airport with star striker De Vries included in the travelling party. The Dutchman is toiling with the foot injury and is a serious doubt even to make the bench tomorrow. However, Levein is hoping to be able to call on his services even for part of the game. Pereira is also a doubt after aggravating his ankle injury in training on Monday, but was also on the plane today.

Graham Weir was left at home having been hospitalised last week after being laid low by a virus. The match has also come too soon for Stephen Simmons, the midfielder only just back in training after breaking his foot in pre-season.

Levein has spent the last couple of days studying videos of Braga’s most recent matches against Benfica and Guimares. "I have to come up with a system which will suit the players we have," he said. "We will rely a bit on the experience of last season in Bordeaux but this will be different as the players aren’t the same.

"Part of our strength is that we have players who can do a great job for us in certain areas of the park.

"If they are not there then it obviously makes a difference to us as to how we shape up.

"But one thing is for sure it will be impossible for us to defend for 90 minutes. We will need somebody up front to help take the weight off the midfield and defence for a while."

Taken from the Scotsman