Levein down in the dumps as Weir's mumps scupper his plans

Murrayfield this evening have been severely disrupted after the withdrawal of his young striker, Graham Weir, who is

suffering from mumps.

It's been a bad few weeks for the 20-year-old, who was forced to run up and down the Gorgie stand with his golf clubs on his back and subsequently dropped from the squad as a punishment for playing 18 holes the day before a game.

He fought his way back into first team contention against Rangers on Sunday, playing the full 90 minutes, but Weir's resurgence has been scuppered by the disease most people associate with childhood, a fact which has caused merriment in the dressing room.

Levein talked openly of how the last-minute withdrawal of his striker had caused major tactical problems and left him in two minds over how to set out his team against Braga, who are coming off the back of a 1-1 league draw with Porto.

Kevin McKenna, Ramon Pereira and Steven Simmons, all of whom could play up front, are out injured and target man Mark de Vries has just returned from a hamstring strain and only lasted an hour against Rangers. If he wants to keep playing a 4-4-2 formation, Levein has to hope de Vries can last the full game and will need to partner him with the out-of-favour Dennis Wyness.

''I may have to change the shape or my system, or play somebody up front who is not a natural striker,'' said Levein. ''I had planned to play de Vries for an hour alongside Weir then bring on Wyness, as I didn't think Mark could last the 90 minutes. Now I don't have that option and may have to see if Mark can last the whole game and bring Dennis in.''

History will be made when Hearts run out at Murrayfield tonight, their first competitive game at the famous rugby ground. It is a sight that the majority of Hearts fans hoped would never come and is the first step towards a permanent move from Tynecastle. The club's board claimed the game had to be played at the home of Scottish rugby as the pitch specifications at Tynecastle did not meet UEFA regulations, a point strongly opposed by some supporters.

However, unless there is a last minute change, Hearts will play all their league games at Murrayfield from next season until a new stadium site is found. There had been talk of a boycott of tonight's game but it is believed around 15,000 will attend, an above average league crowd. However, there will

be a surreal atmosphere as Murrayfield holds 67,000.

Levein, though has vowed that his players will not be affected by the switch. ''It is something we have to do. I have checked the surface and I am happy with it,'' he said.

Hearts have decided that it would have been too expensive to screen off sections of the ground and the Tynecastle stadium manager, John Boag, says the only alterations made for the match is to the pitch, meaning pictures of rugby balls and the SRU's official logo will be seen throughout the stadium.

He said: ''It's a one-off match, so financially it was not viable to cover the rest of the stadium.''

The Braga coach, Jesualdo Ferreira, is delighted that the game will be played at Murrayfield. He said: ''It is a magnificent place to play and we're very pleased the game has been moved.''

The winners of the tie will head into the UEFA Cup's group stages, guaranteeing four more matches, and with Hearts (pounds) 19.1m in debt, Levein knows that their progress is crucial.

''The financial situation is not something that will make us play better but the extra income will come in handy,'' said Levein. ''It may cushion whether I have to make any cutbacks, but I don't want to heap pressure on the side by mentioning that.''

Steven Pressley, the Hearts captain, is in the final year of his contract at Tynecastle and it is unthinkable the club won't offer the man who has spent seven years in Gorgie a new deal. However, the Scotland internationalist is taking nothing for granted and admitted that it is a big season for him.

''I am keen to stay and it would be good to qualify for the group stages of the UEFA Cup,'' said Pressley. ''It would have been better playing the game at Tynecastle but 15,000 Jambos at Murrayfield could still create a great atmosphere.

''We learned a lot in the UEFA Cup last year and we play in a relatively aggressive manner week in, week out.

''Braga are a technically gifted side and although we don't have any stars, we work for each other and can beat them.''

The Braga coach, though, was equally confident.''Hearts have good steel about them but we have very good technique,'' said Ferreira ''We must win the midfield battle and if we do that, we will do well.''

Hearts v SC Braga

Tonight, 7.45pm, Murrayfield Stadium

Herald prediction Hearts 2 SC Braga 1

Update Hearts are without striker Graham Weir who has mumps. Also sidelined is Ramon Pereira with an ankle injury. Long-term casualty Kevin McKenna is still out with a knee injury. Bulgarian referee Anton Genov will officiate. The 37 year-old vet was in charge when Scotland's U19s beat Macedonia 2-0 at Hamilton's New Douglas Park last year