Ross County will look for their first win of the season on Saturday when they welcome Hearts to the Global Energy Stadium in the Scottish Premiership.
However, they will have to end the undefeated start that the visitors have made as they continue to place pressure on the top two teams in the league.
Match preview
© Reuters
It has been a miserable start to the season for Ross County, who have lost three out of their opening five league fixtures, picking up two draws in the other games.
After earning a point on the opening day against St Johnstone, it has proven to be a difficult beginning which has seen them play against some of the top teams in the league.
Malky Mackay's men have had to compete against Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen and Hibernian so far, with all four teams finding themselves in the top half of the table currently.
Ross County were unfortunate not to earn three points when they played Aberdeen, with a late goal seeing them share the spoils, but they were unable to capitalise on that impressive performance at the weekend.
They travelled to Celtic and suffered a 3-0 defeat in their most recent outing, with two goals from Albian Ajeti in the space of five minutes putting the game out of their reach.
© Reuters
This added to the defensive issues that Mackay's team have been dealing with this season, as Ross County have conceded 11 goals in their opening five fixtures, with no team in the league having let in more.
They must now face another team in great form at the weekend, with Hearts having not lost a match yet in the Scottish Premiership, with the team enjoying life back in the top flight following promotion.
After kickstarting their season with a victory against Celtic, Robbie Neilson's men have not looked back, picking up three wins and two draws so far in the league.
Hearts have looked strong in front of goal, with Liam Boyce having scored four already across all competitions as he looks to be the talisman for the club.
The Jambos come into this game on the back of a goalless draw against Hibernian, which was the first time this season they have not found the back of the net within a game.
- D
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- D
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Jack Baldwin made his first start for Ross County during the defeat against Celtic, with the new signing now fully bedded into the team, it is expected he will be a regular in the back four this season.
Alex Samuel was also thrown into the starting XI after joining the club from Wycombe Wanderers during transfer deadline day, with the forward being a new attacking option for Mackay.
Hearts were able to welcome Stephen Kingsley back into the team for the goalless draw with Hibernian, taking Andy Halliday's place in the starting XI.
New signing Barrie McKay was also able to make an appearance for the club, coming off the bench to get some minutes, and he will be another option for Neilson.
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Laidlaw; Paton, Baldwin, Clarke, Burroughs; Spittal, Tillson; Samuel, Charles-Cook, Callachan; White
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Souttar, Halkett, Kingsley; Smith, Baningime, Haring, Cochrane; Woodburn, Mackay-Steven, Boyce
We say: Ross County 0-2 Hearts
Hearts should be too strong for Ross County in this match based on how both teams have started their respective seasons in the Scottish Premiership.
The hosts have struggled defensively, which could open up plenty of opportunities for the visitors to exploit as they continue to push up the table.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hearts win with a probability of 61.46%. A draw had a probability of 22% and a win for Ross County had a probability of 16.57%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hearts win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.22%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (11.46%) and 1-2 (9.8%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.44%), while for a Ross County win it was 1-0 (5.57%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 4.2% likelihood.
