Some old friends will meet up tonight at Tannadice as Hearts take on Dundee United in the quarter final of the Communities League Cup. Rudi Skacel left Hearts after helping the club lift the Scottish Cup in May and has recently signed a short-term deal with United. Despite holding great affection for the Tynecastle side, former team mate Mehdi Taouil fully expects Skacel to lift his new team and warns that Hearts will have to be ready to deal with his skills. Skacel is in line for his home debut against the club he signed twice for. It looked as if it would be a hat-trick of signings for before they were hit with an extended transfer embargo that takes them up to 23 December.Hearts midfielder Taouil said: "He had to play and to sign somewhere. It wasn't possible here so he signed for United. I hope they are going to get a lift after Wednesday's game but not for Wednesday's game. I hope he's going to do well there because I really like Rudi and he's my friend. He's fit, he has been training here with us and you couldn't see that he didn't have a team for a few months."Despite not playing a full game for his new side, Skacel has already caused controversy by choosing squad number 51, a reference to Hearts' cup final win over Hibs that apparently went unnoticed by United manager Peter Houston when he was registering his new signing. Taouil said: "I think everybody knows what that means. Rudi is a real Jambo and that's not a surprise for me. He loves it and I think everybody here loves him as well. Rudi is a great guy and everyone would be happy to see him back but we'll see what happens."Hearts manager John McGlynn admitted the "infectious" Skacel could give United a lift but he listed numerous danger men in Houston's team. McGlynn went on: "With the greatest respect for Rudi, he's a great guy and a living legend at Hearts, the fans love him and I'm sure he loves Hearts, but it would a bit wrong to think that Dundee United are now a one-man band. I wouldn't want to be sidetracked and forget the focus because there's no guarantees that Rudi will start or even participate. I'm not too bothered about it, I'll worry about that when and if it comes about."
Source: ScottishFitba
Source: FOOTYMAD
