Wins in Edinburgh are very rare for Motherwell but on our last visit to Tynecastle we triumphed when and effectively secured fifth place, and with it European football, at the end of last season. A repeat now would be more than welcome and with Hearts missing several players from their squad due for various reasons, it is unlikely we will have many better opportunities to do just that.
One concern could be a possible start for Skacel . Although a strong player, there are doubts over whether he will be able to recreate his form of four years ago when he was simply sensational in the SPL. Our old friend Calum Elliot has made a decent start to the season but we have shown in the past that we can deal with the threat of Kevin Kyle and should we do that again, we will have a good basis for a win.
In our own line-up we are missing a few squad players due to injury and Hammell is the main concern from the group of regulars. It would be ideal if he can return but if not, Page may be given a further chance to impress or Hateley will be asked to deputise again. We will definitely strengthen our side with the return of Murphy and Jennings though it is not just as certain that Sutton will be recalled. Gow is likely to be benched once more but should offer a decent alternative late on.
Regardless of the circumstances we can never go to Hearts feeling truly confident about getting a result but there should be little to choose between their eleven and ours on this occasion. A 1-1 draw should leave us reasonably content as we head back along the M8 after the game.