Heart of Midlothian Football Club today announces that it will play Sunderland in a pre-season friendly at Tynecastle in August.

The match takes place on Saturday, August 8 (kick-off 3pm) and forms the second part of a Barclays Premier League double-header for Csaba Laszlo's side with Bolton Wanderers visiting Gorgie four days earlier on the evening of August 4.

The match will mark the last warm-up game for both teams before their respective league campaigns kick off the following weekend so the meeting promises to be a competitive affair.

"This is a great fixture for a number of reasons," said a Hearts spokesperson today.

"Sunderland are an excellent team and are just the kind of opposition Csaba Laszlo is looking for as he enters the final phase of his pre-season preparations.

"With Bolton Wanderers at Tynecastle on the Tuesday night and now Sunderland on the Saturday, it promises to be an ideal week for players and fans. To have two quality teams from the English Premiership playing at Tynecastle is terrific not only for the Gorgie area but the Capital in general.

"Sunderland are also expected to bring a large number of fans to the game. Edinburgh is not too far away and is a great city for visitors to enjoy. With a new manager at the helm, their supporters will be interested to see how things are shaping up under Steve Bruce so everything is pointing to a fantastic occasion."

Prices and ticket information will be confirmed at a later date.

Hearts SMS subscribers learnt this news first. Click here to find out about Hearts Text Alerts