Source: Team_Talk
Levein: Our aim is to break Hearts
The Jambos finished 'best of the rest' last term and with boss Csaba Laszlo still at the helm and five new faces in their squad, they will be a formidable force once again.
The difference in wages - with Hearts spending around £10million on their players compared to United's more modest £2.6million figure - shows the gulf in resources between the clubs but Levein believes he has assembled enough quality at Tannadice to snatch a coveted place in Europe.
However, that is far off in the distance and his only aim at the moment is to strike an early blow against his old club when the teams meet in their opening match on Monday night.
Levein said: "Let's be honest, Hearts should finish third every season.
"Their wage bill is closer to the Old Firm's than ours is to theirs, so that tells you they should be in third spot most seasons.
"It didn't happen for a few years but Csaba Laszlo has come in and did a fantastic job last season.
"Although their wage bill is much bigger than ours, we still feel we're able to compete with them, there's no doubt about that.
"It's a great fixture to start off with, it will be a real occasion and the fact the television cameras are here makes it even better.
"Both teams have new players so the fans will be eager to see them in action and I'd expect the game to have a real edge to it.
"Our games against Hearts are always good and we know that if we want to continue our progression then games like these are the ones we need to win."
Meanwhile, Laszlo fears an injury to one of his fit strikers could wreck Hearts' start to the season.
Jambos boss Laszlo is reeling from the news Calum Elliot needs major reconstructive surgery to correct a congenital heel problem.
The club are determined to put off an operation for as long as possible and will try to manage the condition, with the player expected to return to training soon.
But having missed out on Macedonia international Ilco Naumoski, Laszlo has been left with only three forwards at his disposal.
"We have Gary Glen, (Christian) Nade, (David) Witteveen," Laszlo said.
"We don't have at the moment front men who will help us.
"If you have an injury, you are completely out of strikers."
Laszlo is an admirer of Craig Beattie, who has struggled to break into the West Brom team.
But the Hearts boss is unlikely to be able to afford a transfer fee for the 25-year-old former Celtic and Scotland striker.
Expressing his disappointment at missing out on Naumoski, Laszlo added: "We'll look for other possibilities. We must not go and decide tomorrow because they cannot play in the Europa League.
"The other thing is that at the moment, the market is not so rich in good strikers which one can transfer for free."
