Hearts face a daunting start to the 2019/20 Ladbrokes Premiership campaign

However, their opening-day match at Pittodrie could be moved back 24 hours to Sunday, August 4.

Should Aberdeeen reach the Europa League second qualifying round, they would be in European action on the evening of Thursday, August 1. That would mean the league opener against Hearts could not take place on Saturday, August 3, as scheduled.

Supporters must wait to see if Derek McInnes’ side can eliminate the Finish club RoPS Rovaniemi in the first qualifying round before planning their journey north.

Hearts’ first home match of the season will be played the following weekend against newly-promoted Ross County before a visit to champions Celtic the week after. Then Hamilton and Motherwell both visit Tynecastle Park in successive home matches on August 31 and September 14 respectively.

It is far from an easy start for Craig Levein and his players as they look to emulate the scintillating beginning they enjoyed last year. They topped the league table and sat six points clear at the top at one stage before injuries interrupted their momentum. They finished in sixth place.

The first Edinburgh derby of the new season is to come on Saturday, September 21, at Easter Road. Hearts and Hibs will lock horns again on Boxing Day at Tynecastle Park and then on March 4, 2020, back at Easter Road. There will then be a fourth meeting between the Capital clubs at Tynecastle after the Premiership split.

This season’s fixture list again includes a winter break in early January. Hearts’ final league fixture of 2019 is at home to Aberdeen on Sunday, December 29, before a three-week hiatus which ends with the fourth round of the Scottish Cup in January.

The last two winter breaks have seen Levein take his squad to Spain for some warm-weather training and friendly matches. That ploy worked well in terms of rejuvenating players at a key point in the campaign, but it remains to be seen if it is repeated.

The Hearts players reported to Riccarton for pre-season testing yesterday, including new signing Craig Halkett from Livingston. He is the only new addition at the moment but others are expected to follow.

Levein told the Evening News yesterday that he is keen to add three more attack-minded players to his squad and at least one of those could be in place before Hearts head to Ireland on Monday, July 1.

The Edinburgh club play Shelbourne that night at Dublin’s Tolka Park before taking on Glenavon in Lurgan, near Belfast, on Saturday, July 6, at 2pm.

They then return to Scotland for Angus Beith’s benefit match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Tynecastle on Monday, July 8, at 7.30pm. The Betfred Cup begins at home to Dundee United four days later on Friday, July 12.