Kind draw for Hearts - Levein

Former Hearts boss Craig Levein believes the Champions League third qualifying round draw has been comparatively kind to the Tynecastle club.

But the ex-Tynecastle boss concedes the draw could have been far worse for the Edinburgh club.

Levein said: "It is a tough draw but you look at AC Milan, Liverpool and Arsenal and, trust me, AEK Athens does not strike the same fear.

"I had them marked down as one of the teams who could give Hearts a better chance of going through.

"They have more experience in this competition but Hearts will have had a few competitive matches before the tie, assuming they get through against Siroki Brijeg."

However, Hearts do possess a potential 'spy' with Greece international Takis Fyssas within their ranks.

The former Panathinaikos defender helped the country with the European Championships in 2004 and could prove useful for Tynecastle head coach Valdas Ivanauskas.

Levein told Sky Sports: "I would expect the coach will be consulting Takis to get as much information as he can.

"He has not played in Greece for a while but I am sure he will have his finger on the pulse and will know most of the players and the way the team plays."

The Athens club are no strangers to Scotland after facing Hearts' Edinburgh rivals Hibernian in the UEFA Cup in September 2001.

AEK were fortunate to escape with a 4-3 aggregate win against Alex McLeish's team then but needed extra time to complete the win.

The Greek club also defeated Rangers in the European Cup first qualifying round in the 1994-95 season.

But the Scottish club have only recorded two wins from a possible six against teams from Greece in European competition.