Hearts suffered their first defeat of the season at the weekend and on Saturday they will have the chance to bounce back at the first time of asking when they host Dundee United.

The visitors sit behind the Jam Tarts in the table, but only via goal difference, with a victory having the chance to take them into second place.

Match preview

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Hearts had made a perfect start to their Scottish Premiership return, having gone 11 games unbeaten in the league but that run was brought to an end on Saturday.

They are no longer the only club without a loss in the division as Aberdeen were able to secure three points against them with a 2-1 victory.

The Jam Tarts did manage to take the lead in the game as John Souttar found the back of the net with a penalty, but the Dons were able to fight back in the second half with two goals to earn the win.

Problems got worse for Robbie Neilson at the end of the match as well when Andy Halliday was shown a straight red card, forcing Hearts to finish the fixture with 10 men.

It has been a difficult run for the club as of late, with a trio of draws taking place before the recent defeat, which adds extra importance to the upcoming fixture to get back to winning ways.

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Dundee United also suffered a defeat at the weekend, having been beaten by St Johnstone due to a 17th-minute goal from Ali Crawford, which brought an end to a strong run of form for the club.

The Tangerines had gone five matches in a row without a loss before Saturday, which is a run that helped them climb the league table.

Right now, the club finds themselves in fourth place and, with just six points between them and table-toppers Rangers, they have the chance to continue putting the pressure on this weekend.

Only Celtic have conceded fewer goals than Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership so far, which is a record they will be hoping to continue.

However, they will be wary of the fact that Hearts walked away with three points against them earlier this season with a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Liam Boyce and Armand Gnanduillet.

Team News

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Hearts will be without Halliday this weekend due to suspension and they continue to miss top goalscorer Boyce due to a calf injury.

Gnanduillet has attempted to fill his boots in recent games as he leads the line with Gary Mackay-Steven and Josh Ginnelly likely to appear alongside him in the attack.

Dundee United are without Liam Smith at the moment due to a knee injury and Marc McNulty also remains a concern due to his hamstring problem.

Several changes took place during their most recent outing with several academy players being given an opportunity with Logan Chalmers, Louis Appere and Kerr Smith being provided the chance to start.

Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Souttar, Halkett, Kingsley; Cochrane, Baningime, Devlin, Smith; Mackay-Steven, Ginnelly, Gnanduillet

Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Siegrist; Smith, Edwards, Mulgrew, McMann; Harkes, Levitt, Fuchs; Clark, Niskanen, Freeman

We say: Hearts 2-1 Dundee United

Both teams have proven their abilities throughout the season and find themselves within the title race right now, being just six points behind Rangers.

However, after suffering their first defeat of the campaign at the weekend, Hearts will have a point to prove on Saturday, which could give them the inspiration needed to secure the win.

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