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Hearts head to Fir Park on Saturday as the form team in Scottish football, but having lost on both visits to ML1 last term.

Here’s everything you need to know about the weekend’s opponents.

The undisputed league leaders

Four games, four wins. Hearts have been in red hot form so far in the Ladbrokes Premiership, scoring 10 goals and conceding just two.

Defeating Celtic and Kilmarnock 1-0, they also defeated Hamilton Academical and St Mirren 4-1.

The man in form

Steven Naismith will arrive at Fir Park with four league goals to his name already this campaign, including a hat-trick against St Mirren last time out.

But it is his international form that has drawn the most attention this week. Having been preferred to Leigh Griffiths in attack for Scotland, he got the touch that helped put the nation ahead against Albania through an own goal, before netting himself later on.

Levein’s decision

Manager Craig Levein is yet to decide whether he will be in the dugout on Saturday, having recovered from a health scare that briefly saw him hospitalised a few weeks back.

Levein has returned to training and undertook his press duties on Thursday, but said he will make a late decision on whether he will be formally in charge, or leave it again to assistant Austin MacPhee.

Stephen Robinson spoke to the broadcast press ahead of his side’s clash with Hearts in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Here are the headlines from the press conference.

On domestic football returning this weekend

“We’ve had five boys away on international duty and you use the opportunity to give a couple of days off to the boys that worked hard, but then you’re back into it again so yesterday was the first day we had the boys back.

“Obviously we’ve done a lot of prep in the background with the boys that were here ahead of the Hearts game. But I’m looking forward to having everybody back again and having a good season ahead of the game.

“In the three games leading up to the break we performed really well and got some very good results, so yeah is a bit stop-start which it always is but it’s the same for everybody. So we don’t use excuses. Instead we take the opportunity to try and improve what we can and build on what we’ve already done.”

On opponents Hearts

“Obviously Hearts have started very, very well and I guess there’s a little bit of incentive for us to be the first side to beat them this season, but we always have incentive for our home games.

“We had a brilliant home record last season and we aim to keep doing that this season, so it’s a big game no matter who we play.

“We know Hearts are going to be a strong team, it’ll be physical, and we have to match that. But I think we’re playing some very good stuff at the moment and it’s going to be a good game.”

On Craig Levein’s return to work

“We wish Craig well and I’m glad he’s back in the fold again and it would be really nice to see him in the dugout.

“We all have tough jobs so it would be great to see him. But I don’t think it will affect the performances of either teams, Hearts have good staff there too who I’m sure will be more than capable of dealing with that.

“I try not to get too involved with other managers on the touchline to be honest, it can distract from the game, so I don’t think it would make a difference for us either way.”

Stephen Robinson says league leaders Hearts will present a physical challenge at Fir Park on Saturday which the Steelmen will have to face up to.

The Motherwell boss is confident his team will be able to do that, meaning it will come down to which side can get the ball down and play to ensure victory.

Stephen Robinson’s men take on Hearts at Fir Park on Saturday, looking to follow up on a first league win against Dundee.

Here’s a look at the game in numbers.

297

Saturday’s clash with Hearts is the 297th meeting between the two teams in all competitions.

This weekend’s Premiership match comes 126 years after the first ever meeting between the two, which took place back in 1892.

Should ‘Well defeat the Edinburgh outfit, it would be a 92nd victory for the club against Hearts.

16

The combined number of goals both the Steelmen and the Jambos have scored in the league this season.

Saturday’s encounter puts the divisions top scoring sides up against on another, with the two outscoring both Celtic and Aberdeen in the opening four games of the campaign.

In theory, it should make for an exciting encounter on Saturday.

Zero

The number of defeats Hearts have suffered this season in all competitions.

Craig Levein’s men sit top of the table, having won eight of their nine games in 2018/19, drawing just once.

They arrive at Fir Park on the back of seven straight victories, defeating the likes of Celtic, Kilmarnock and St Mirren en route.

17

Since the 2000/01 campaign, Motherwell and Hearts have met each other 30 times at Fir Park.

In those games, ‘Well have won on 17 occasions against the side from the capital.

Hearts have won eight of those, with the remaining five games ending as a draw.

Hearts are the visitors to Fir Park on Saturday as Ladbrokes Premiership action returns after the international break.

The Steelmen won both encounters between the pair in ML1 last season, running out 2-1 winners in both.

The league leaders travel to Motherwell

With four wins from four, Hearts come to town as the team clear at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Having scored 10 goals and conceded just two, the Jam Tarts have already put Hamilton, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Celtic to the sword.

Fortress Fir Park

Stephen Robinson’s men won two from two at home against Craig Levein’s side in the 2017/18 campaign.

An early-season victory, with Jon Daly in temporary charge of the visitors, came courtesy of goals from Louis Moult and Ryan Bowman.

But the best was yet to come in the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter finals. With Kyle Lafferty having cancelled out Curtis Main’s opener, up stepped Carl McHugh with a rocket of an effort to win the match.

International experience

A few eyebrows were raised when Hearts forward Steven Naismith was given the nod up top for Scotland against Albania earlier in the week, coming into the team at the expense of Leigh Griffiths.

Any doubters were quickly silenced as the experienced man contributed to the first goal and netted the second in a big win for his country. He was joined in his performance by defender John Souttar, who looked assured and comfortable in only his second appearance for Scotland.

Finding form

After a slow start to the league season, Motherwell have kicked on in their last few fixtures. A 3-3 draw with Rangers proved a huge lift, with Peter Hartley’s last-minute equaliser the least that was deserved.

A week later, a visit to Dens Park proved profitable. Goals from Danny Johnson, Gaël Bigirimana and Allan Campbell sealed the first three points of the season and continued an improved run of form.

Trevor Carson played 45 minutes for Northern Ireland on Tuesday night as they defeated Israel 3-0.

The goalkeeper earned his fourth cap for his country as he started the friendly match at Belfast, before being replaced at the interval by Michael McGovern.

Michael O’Neill’s team return to action in October, as they face a UEFA Nations League double header.

Both games will be played away for the green and white army, as they take on Austria and then Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Liam Donnelly was on the scoresheet for Northern Ireland as he marked his record-breaking appearance with a win over Spain.

The defender picked up his 22nd cap for the Under 21s on Tuesday night, becoming the record cap holder at that age level.

His night got even better as he scored a penalty to put his nation 2-0 up in Albacete.

Northern Ireland went on to concede in stoppage time but held on for a big 2-1 victory.

On his record breaking 22nd U21 appearance, Liam Donnelly puts us TWO up against Spain! 😍 #GAWA pic.twitter.com/KrvmNt7Y4J

— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) September 11, 2018

Chris Cadden and Allan Campbell both started for Scotland Under 21s as they defeated the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Fraser Hornby netted a double to keep the young Scots in the hunt for a qualification spot for the UEFA European Under 21 Championships next year.

Cadden played the full 90 minutes in the win, which was sealed through Hornby’s late penalty.

The Everton man had earlier netted from 40 yards into an empty goal after a mistake by the Dutch goalkeeper, before Teun Koopmeiners levelled.

Campbell was forced off late in the first half with a knock, having started the match.

A late Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leveller for Gabon denied Gäel Bigirimana’s Burundi all three points in their African Cup of Nations Group C qualifier.

Bigirimana, earning only his second cap for the country of his birth after a three-year absence, was named in the starting line-up for the match in the Stade De L’Amitié.

The Swallows took the lead after 38 minutes, Stoke City’s Saido Berahino scoring on his full international debut, holding off a handful of challenges before smashing low under the keeper at his near post.

It looked like it was going to stay that way until the Arsenal striker grabbed a point for the hosts just nine minutes from time.

The result leaves Burundi on four points after two games. They face a crucial double header against Mali next month. A win in both will have them in pole position for a spot at the 2019 tournament, which takes place in Cameroon next June.

Elsewhere, Trevor Carson had to be content with a place amongst the substitutes as Northern Ireland lost 2-1 at home to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the UEFA Nations Cup.

Very much against the run of play, the Bosnians took the lead through Dynamo Dresden winger Haris Duljević.

The hosts continued to dominate, but a mix-up between Craig Cathcart and keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell allowed Elvis Sarić to nip and double the visitor’s advantage midway through the second half.

Will Grigg did reduce the arrears in stoppage time, but it finished in defeat for Michael O’Neill’s side.

Stephen Robinson says the international break hasn’t been wasted at Motherwell, with the manager using the time to make improvements with the team on the training ground.

The squad worked Tuesday to Friday this week in the absence of a weekend fixture, but there was no chance the time would be used to relax.

“It’s a chance to work on things we can be better at,” he said.

“The attitudes around the place are great and everyone keeps pushing and pushing themselves.”