Two teams battling at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership table are set to come together on Sunday afternoon when Ross County host Hearts at the Global Energy Stadium.
The hosts are 10th in the table with 18 points from their first 19 fixtures, while the visitors are 11th in the league standings with 16 points from their 19 outings.
Match preview
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Ross County have endured a challenging past two years in the Scottish Premiership, narrowly surviving in the top flight with back-to-back victories in the relegation playoffs in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.
They now find themselves in yet another battle to extend their stay in the top flight of Scottish football, sitting 10th in the table with 18 points from 19 matches, after four wins, six draws and nine losses.
Don Cowie has so far been unable to lead his side to back-to-back league victories this term, with each win being surrounded by several losses and draws, meaning the Staggies will be desperate to win here.
Ross County ended a dismal four-game losing streak with a superb 3-0 win against Dundee in their last outing, a result they will be hoping to replicate against Hearts in a relegation six-pointer.
The visitors have had a miserable 2024-25 campaign thus far, underwhelmingly placing 11th in the table with just 16 points from 19 matches, after four wins, four draws and 11 losses.
That is a far cry from the heights that Hearts have reached since returning to the Scottish Premiership in 2021-22, having finished third in both 2021-22 and 2023-24 and fourth in 2022-23.
Steven Naismith was sacked after a dismal start to the campaign, with Neil Critchley eventually appointed as his permanent successor, and after winning his first two matches in charge, he was led the Jambos to just three wins in the following 14 outings.
A victory for the visitors would see them climb out of the relegation zone and above the hosts, but Hearts have struggled against the Staggies in recent meetings, failing to win any of the last three.
Team News
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The hosts are without Alex Samuel (thigh), Elijah Campbell (knee), Ross Laidlaw (knee) and Will Nightingale for this match due to ongoing injury issues.
Coming into this game on the back of a 3-0 win against Dundee, Cowie could opt to name a similar team in this one, though Jack Grieves and Aidan Denholm are both doubts after coming off with injuries.
The visitors are set to be without the services of Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring), Frankie Kent (muscle), Gerald Taylor (knee) and Stephen Kingsley (hamstring) for this match.
While the Jambos were defeated by Hibernian in their last outing, a promising performance could mean Critchley decides to name a similar starting team here.
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Amissah; Wright, Lopata, Leak; Efete, Nisbet, White, Randall, Harmon; Chilvers, Hale
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Oyegoke, Halkett, Rowles, Penrice; Devlin, Boateng; Drammeh, Shankland, Spittal; Wilson
We say: Ross County 2-1 Hearts
The hosts are coming into this one on the back of a confidence-building 3-0 beating of Dundee, and with Hearts the worst-performing side on the road this season, we believe Ross County will win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
