Aberdeen and Hearts swap shoes as gutted outfit look for next Abiola Dauda

Hearts hosted Aberdeen on the first game of last season, when optimism was coursing through the veins of the Gorgie faithful following investment from Tony Bloom and a perfect Premier Sports Cup group-stage run. Conversely, Aberdeen had only played a handful of friendlies, with many supporters believing they were undercooked.

Hearts won 2-0 at Tynecastle that Monday night. Those who were in attendance realised the club had enormous momentum already and that carried to them to the last minutes of the campaign before they were pipped at the title post by Celtic.

For Aberdeen, it was the commencement of a pretty desperate season, where they finished in the bottom six of the league and did nothing in Europe. Scottish Cup-winning manager Jimmy Thelin was sacked, replaced by Stephen Robinson. Another Pittodrie rebuild.

To Robinson’s credit, despite his arrival from St Mirren getting a lukewarm reception, the Northern Irishman has generated positivity since saving the Dons from the threat of relegation. They had an 100 per cent record in this summer’s Premier Sports Cup and the fans are relishing the visit of Hearts for a Saturday evening kick off.

Nobody is suggesting Aberdeen have the tools to mount a title challenge à la Hearts - but finishing in the top four is a realistic goal for a club that badly underachieved last season. Robinson has gone back to basics and made the team hard to beat. Recruitment has been sensible: Brad Lyons and Lewis Mayo from Kilmarnock, giant defender Dan Happe and midfielder Connor Ronan. Signings that know the environment and make sense.

Aberdeen have also culled some of the foreign recruits who came in for sizeable fees but failed to deliver. Alexander Jensen, Topi Keskinen and Nicolas Milanovic were all sold earlier this month, although the likes of Kusini Yengi and Peter Ambrose are still on the books. Long-serving skipper Graeme Shinnie was released at the end of his contract. Goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov - a Scottish Cup hero - looks set to leave. A different approach is being taken.

There has been mass upheaval at Hearts too, but perhaps not for the better. Since that fateful day at Celtic Park, manager Derek McInnes has joined Rangers. Star striker Lawrence Shankland and influential midfielder Cammy Devlin have also moved to Ibrox. Talismanic defender Craig Halkett is out for the long term. Both goalkeeper in Alexander Schwolow and Craig Gordon have left the building, as have midfielders Beni Baningime and Marc Leonard.

Hearts have been disembowelled in the past two months. The surgery began in earnest, with nine new senior arrivals as well as a new head coach in Wouter Vrancken, who simply hasn’t had the time to knit his new squad together due to European commitments.

Swatted aside easily 6-0 by Sturm Graz across two legs of Champions League football, Hearts looked frailer than under McInnes. They are playing a different style of football with largely foreign recruits that need a bit of space to adapt. Wishful thinking, though. August is rammed. After Aberdeen comes a Europa League qualifier against the might of Benfica. Four European ties will happen, as well as domestic commitments. Vrancken has a potentially tough month ahead of him.

There have been some murmurings of concern about Hearts after the giddiness of last season. Most sensible observers understand that Vrancken needs more opportunities to put his stamp on a very bloated squad. He is set to hand his new goalkeeper, the towering Dutchman Beau Reus, his debut at Pittodrie. Defensive midfielder Laurent Mendy may also make his first appearance.

Hearts are still a work in progress, which makes them vulnerable prey against an Aberdeen side that have spent the past month growing in strength. And then there is history to contend with.

This is a fixture that normally goes to the hosts. Hearts have not stormed the north east in a decade, when Abiola Dauda scored the winning goal in a 2016 fixture. Not even the Hearts team of last season could avoid defeat at Pittodrie; the 1-0 reversal in autumn was the first under McInnes, on an evening when Shankland was missing due to injury.

He may be watching on TV, having made his competitive debut for Rangers on Friday night. Interest will again be high when it comes to Hearts. The desire remains the same within Tynecastle, to challenge once again for the title. Winning at Aberdeen, who themselves have lofty ambitions, would be a similar statement of intent to a year ago.