Preview: Ross County vs. Hearts - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams battling astatine the bottommost of the Scottish Premiership table are acceptable to travel unneurotic connected Sunday day erstwhile Ross County big Hearts astatine the Global Energy Stadium.

The hosts are 10th successful the array with 18 points from their archetypal 19 fixtures, portion the visitors are 11th successful the league standings with 16 points from their 19 outings.

Match preview

© Imago

Ross County person endured a challenging past 2 years successful the Scottish Premiership, narrowly surviving successful the apical formation with back-to-back victories successful the relegation playoffs successful some 2022-23 and 2023-24.

They present find themselves successful yet different conflict to widen their enactment successful the apical formation of Scottish football, sitting 10th successful the array with 18 points from 19 matches, aft 4 wins, six draws and 9 losses.

Don Cowie has truthful acold been incapable to pb his broadside to back-to-back league victories this term, with each triumph being surrounded by respective losses and draws, meaning the Staggies volition beryllium hopeless to triumph here.

Ross County ended a dismal four-game losing streak with a superb 3-0 triumph against Dundee successful their past outing, a effect they volition beryllium hoping to replicate against Hearts successful a relegation six-pointer.

The visitors person had a miserable 2024-25 run frankincense far, underwhelmingly placing 11th successful the array with conscionable 16 points from 19 matches, aft 4 wins, 4 draws and 11 losses.

That is simply a acold outcry from the heights that Hearts person reached since returning to the Scottish Premiership successful 2021-22, having finished 3rd successful some 2021-22 and 2023-24 and 4th successful 2022-23.

Steven Naismith was sacked aft a dismal commencement to the campaign, with Neil Critchley yet appointed arsenic his imperishable successor, and aft winning his archetypal 2 matches successful charge, helium was led the Jambos to conscionable 3 wins successful the pursuing 14 outings.

A triumph for the visitors would spot them ascent retired of the relegation portion and supra the hosts, but Hearts person struggled against the Staggies successful caller meetings, failing to triumph immoderate of the past three.

Ross County Scottish Premiership form:

Hearts Scottish Premiership form:

Hearts signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

The hosts are without Alex Samuel (thigh), Elijah Campbell (knee), Ross Laidlaw (knee) and Will Nightingale for this lucifer owed to ongoing wounded issues.

Coming into this crippled connected the backmost of a 3-0 triumph against Dundee, Cowie could opt to sanction a akin squad successful this one, though Jack Grieves and Aidan Denholm are some doubts aft coming disconnected with injuries.

The visitors are acceptable to beryllium 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 successful their past outing, a promising show could mean Critchley decides to sanction a akin starting squad here.

Ross County imaginable starting lineup:
Amissah; Wright, Lopata, Leak; Efete, Nisbet, White, Randall, Harmon; Chilvers, Hale

We say: Ross County 2-1 Hearts

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