Preview: Hearts vs. Dundee - prediction, team news, lineups

The home side are currently third in the table, boasting 36 points from their opening 21 matches of the campaign, while Dundee sit seventh, having collected 22 points from their first 18 games.

Match preview

Hearts will bring a six-game unbeaten run into Tuesday's contest, with five of those matches ending in wins, including a 2-1 success over Spartans in the fourth round of the Scottish FA Cup on Saturday.

Steven Naismith's side were also 2-1 winners in their last league match against Livingston on January 2, while they are unbeaten in Scotland's top flight since the start of December.

Hearts boast a record of 11 wins, three draws and seven defeats from their 21 league matches this season, which has let them in third position in the table on 36 points, 19 points behind second-placed Rangers.

The Edinburgh-based outfit have actually lost their last two Scottish Premier League games against Dundee, including a 1-0 defeat when they last locked horns in August 2023.

Hearts have only won four of their 10 home league games this season, suffering three defeats, but Dundee have also been inconsistent on their travels, collecting just 10 points from nine fixtures.

Dundee are back at this level of football following their triumph in the Scottish Championship last season, and they will be pleased with what has been a solid campaign to date.

The Dee were also in Scottish FA Cup action on Saturday, but they were on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline against Kilmarnock, so their focus for the rest of the season will be on the league.

Dundee drew 2-2 with Kilmarnock in their last league fixture at the end of December, with the result moving them onto 22 points from 18 matches, which has left them in seventh position in the table.

Tony Docherty's side have four games in hand on some of the teams in the division, while they have two games in hand on sixth-placed Hibernian, who are three points ahead of them.

Dundee have lost just one of their last four Scottish Premier League games against Hearts, but they will certainly be the underdogs heading into the encounter with their in-form opponents.

Hearts Scottish Premiership form:

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Hearts form (all competitions):

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Dundee Scottish Premiership form:

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Dundee form (all competitions):

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Team News

Hearts will be missing two players through injury on Tuesday, with Cameron Devlin and Liam Boyce unavailable for selection, most likely until the middle of next month.

Lawrence Shankland has been comfortably the team's main source of goals this season, finding the back of the net on 18 occasions, and he will continue in the final third of the field.

Alan Forrest is set to line up alongside Shankland in a front two, while Kenneth Vargas, who has four goals this term, is another certain starter for the home side in this match.

As for Dundee, Antonio Portales is unavailable for selection, with the defender unlikely to be back for the Dee until the start of March due to a hamstring problem.

Amadou Bakayoko has come up with four goals for Dundee this season, and he will feature in the final third of the field, while Scott Tiffoney is also set to operate in an attacking area.

Joe Shaughnessy has come up with four goals from defence this season, and the 31-year-old will be another starter for the visitors in Tuesday night's contest.

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Clark; Kent, Halkett, Kingsley; Sibbick, Haring, Vargas, Nieuwenhof, Cochrane; Shankland, Forrest

Dundee possible starting lineup:

Carson; McGhee, Shaughnessy, Donnelly; Howley, Mulligan, Sylla, McCowan, Beck; Tiffoney, Bakayoko

We say: Hearts 2-1 Dundee

Dundee have only lost six of their 18 league matches this season, and they are certainly capable of picking up a positive result in this game. Hearts are the favourites, though, and we are expecting Naismith's side to navigate their way to all three points in the Scottish Premiership encounter.

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