Saturday’s showdown between Livingston and Hearts will see two teams who were knocked out of the Scottish League Cup in a midweek face-off in the Premiership at the Toni Macaroni Stadium with kickoff at 5 pm.
The Lions continued their recent poor run of form when they were defeated 2-1 by Dundee United in the second round of the Scottish League Cup on Wednesday.
Kurtis Guthrie pulled one back for the home team in the match’s final quarter after Steven Fletcher’s strikes and Ian Harkes gave the visitors a two-goal lead. Still, Livingston could not equalise and suffered their first elimination at this stage for three years.
David Martindale will be concerned with his side’s defensive performances of late, as they have conceded eight goals in their last three games, including five without reply in a heavy league defeat against Aberdeen last weekend.
Robbie Neilson’s Jam Tarts have failed to keep a clean sheet in their opening eight competitive fixtures. They have also lost four last five games in all competitions, including Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at Tynecastle. Innes Cameron headed in the game’s only goal in the 21st minute to condemn the Jam Tarts to elimination in the second round for the third successive season.
Livingston vs Hearts Head to Head
Both sides have 16 games against each other, with hosts taking two wins while visitors with ten wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Livingston 1-2 Dundee United
- Aberdeen 5-0 Livingston
- Motherwell 1-0 Livingston
- Livingston 2-0 Hibernian
Away
- Hearts 0-1 Kilmarnock
- Hearts 3-2 St. Johnstone
- Hearts 0-1 FC Zurich
- Celtic 2-0 Hearts
Livingston Team News
Bruce Anderson and Tom Parks remain sidelined at Livingston but are recovering from ankle and knee injuries, respectively. The Lions will be able to welcome back Jack Fitzwater from suspension, though, and the centre-back could return to the heart of the defence, with Sean Kelly expected to move back into centre-midfield.
Hearts Team News
Hearts were left reeling after top scorer Liam Boyce was ruled out for seven to nine months with a torn cruciate ligament. Centre-back Kye Rowles was also forced off in the same game and faces between six and eight weeks on the sidelines with a fractured metatarsal.
Prediction and Odds
The Toni Macaroni Arena is set to host a closely-fought contest between two out-of-form sides keen to bounce back.
- Draw
- Double Chance
- Goals Under 3.5
