Looking to make sure of a third-placed finish in the closing stages of the campaign, Hearts will welcome surprise package Dundee to Tynecastle Park for a Scottish Premiership clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Maroons suffered a heavy defeat at the home of title-chasing Celtic last time out, whilst the Dark Blues endured a difficult afternoon against St Mirren.
Match preview
© Reuters
For the third straight match across the Premiership and Scottish Cup, Hearts were unable to make the net ripple last Saturday, when the Maroons made the daunting trip to league holders Celtic and came away with nothing tangible to show for their considerable efforts in Glasgow.
A quickfire double from Japanese sensation Kyogo Furuhashi inside the opening 21 minutes quickly dashed any realistic hopes of a Hearts result at Celtic Park, with a second-half spot kick from goalscoring midfielder Matt O'Riley ensuring that Brendan Rodgers's men finished the afternoon in comfortable fashion.
Since the post-season split, Steven Naismith's troops have collected just the single point from two Premiership matches, but Hearts are still in a favourable position to secure third place, with Saturday's hosts nine points above fourth-placed Kilmarnock with just three games remaining.
Although Celtic and Rangers dominate the landscape at the summit of the division's table, it is Maroons marksman Lawrence Shankland who continues to steal the headlights in the Golden Boot race, with the Scotland international netting 21 league goals so far, four more than James Tavernier of the Gers.
Supporters are in for a serious treat if Saturday's clash matches the drama produced by January's meeting between the two sides at Tynecastle, where Hearts fought back from two goals down to collect maximum points courtesy of strikes from Calem Nieuwenhof, Dexter Lembikisa and Yutaro Oda.
© Reuters
Following their title-winning campaign in the Scottish Championship during the 2022-23 term, Dundee have done amazingly to secure a top-six finish on their return to the Premiership, but there is a feeling that the brutal nature of the top flight is beginning to catch up with the Dark Blues.
Tony Docherty's men extended their winless run in the league to five matches last Saturday, when fifth-placed St Mirren visited Dens Park and earned a 3-1 success, with Alex Gogic, Scott Tanser and Toyosi Olusanya all breaching the net of Dundee goalkeeper Jon McCracken.
Since the post-season split, Saturday's visitors have failed to collect a point in the Premiership, leaving them bottom of the Championship Group, five points behind St Mirren who currently occupy the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
Having played the majority of his career so far in the second division of Scotland, Luke McCowan has enjoyed a real success story for Dundee so far in 2023-24, making the net ripple on nine occasions in 34 Premiership appearances - two more than he managed in the Championship last term.
With his parent club Forest Green Rovers falling out of the English Football League, the long-term future of Amadou Bakayoko is currently unclear, but the former Bolton Wanderers man continues to be an important figure for the Dark Blues, providing 11 goal contributions in the Premiership to date.
Team News
© Reuters
After finding the net in this fixture back in January, midfielder Nieuwenhof will be unable to repeat the trick due to a hamstring injury, meaning that Beni Baningime is set to start in the Hearts engine room once again.
A long-term absentee for the Maroons is striker Liam Boyce, who has not featured in a competitive sense since the start of December because of a leg injury.
There could be changes for the hosts following their damning defeat at Celtic last weekend, with the likes of Nathaniel Atkinson and Scott Fraser pushing for starts.
Dundee are unable to call upon the services of a first-choice centre-back this weekend, with Joe Shaughnessy sidelined for the remainder of the season owing to a knee injury.
As a result, the Dark Blues are set to continue with a back three of Aaron Donnelly, Ricki Lamie and Mexican Juan Portales despite defeat last time out.
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Clark; Kingsley, Kent, Rowles; Lembikisa, Devlin, Baningime, Fraser, Cochrane; Shankland, Oda
Dundee possible starting lineup:
McCracken; Portales, Lamie, Donnelly; McGhee, Cameron, Boateng, McCowan, Dodgson; Mellon, Bakayoko
We say: Hearts 2-0 Dundee
Having failed to score in the last three matches, it is unlikely that Shankland stays quiet for much longer, meaning that Hearts have a good chance of victory on Saturday.
Dundee's exceptional season is beginning to peter out, and we are expecting a third straight loss in the Premiership for the Dark Blues.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
