Winger Declan McDaid says Dundee owe Hearts one after the 6-2 demolition dished out by the Jambos on the opening day of the season.
And the forward has promised Dees a far better showing from their team this time around.
The Championship leaders head to Dens Park tonight for a 7.20pm kick-off with a five point lead at the top of the table.
The Dark Blues trail the Jambos by eight points themselves, having played a game more, and McDaid accepts they’ll have to win tonight to keep any hopes alive of catching Robbie Neilson’s side.
He said: “It is a game you want to win if you are going to push up the table.
“It will be tough but it is one we are going to try to win to get them back for that 6-2 game.
“We obviously want to try to win the league so this is a big one if we want to do that we need to beat them on Saturday.
“That’s what we are aiming for, to get the win and keep trying to close the gap on Hearts.”
In-form teams
Dundee go into the contest on the back of two league victories and remain unbeaten in their last five matches.
Hearts, meanwhile, have won their last five Championship matches after losing to Dunfermline in November – the only league match they’ve not won this season.
McDaid added: “Both teams are in good form. They are flying and we have been doing well lately so it should be a good one and it is on telly as well.
“They gave us a really tough game at the start of the season so we want to get them back for that.
“I didn’t get on so it was a difficult watch.
“I wasn’t expecting what happened at all – I don’t think anybody was.
“So we definitely owe them one and we go into this game determined to get them back.”
McDaid, though, insists Dundee are a different team to the one that were beaten so comprehensively at Tynecastle.
“Yes, there is a better feel about the place, it is difficult to explain.,” he said.
“But it is different from the start of the season and we feel more confident going into games.
“We know we are playing well and we are getting the results to go with that. So there is a good feeling about the place.”
Asked if Hearts will see the real Dundee tonight, McDaid added: “I hope so but I don’t want to jinx it!
“We will just keep doing what we have been doing, playing great and defending well. It should be a better game this time.”
Goals galore
Goals were an issue for the Dark Blues at the start of the campaign but they’ve found the net three times in their last three outings – a first since 1991/92.
Hearts have been racking up the strikes themselves with a massive 14 scored in their last three league matches as well as three netted against Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final in between.
McDaid expects goals once more at Dens this weekend and has backed in-form striker Osman Sow to come back to haunt his former club.
McDaid said: “We were leaking goals before but now we have solidified that.
“We are scoring more at the other end so everything is going well.
“We are also doing well from set-pieces and we are now starting to get on the end of Charlie’s (Adam) deliveries which we maybe weren’t doing at the start of the season.
“So the goals are flying in – big Osman is on fire and I am delighted for him. He is a great player and if you give him chances he will take them.
“As long as we keep making them, he will keep scoring them for us.
“But the goals are also coming from centre-halves and we are creating more chances so it is much better.”