Hearts will aim to extend their winning streak in the Scottish Premiership to eight games when they welcome Aberdeen to Tynecastle on Wednesday night.
Third-placed Hearts find themselves six points clear of fifth-placed Aberdeen in the table, although both sides remain on course to secure a spot in the Championship Group when the league splits in April.
Match preview
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Hearts strengthened their grip on third place in the Scottish Premiership table with a 1-0 victory over St Mirren last time out, courtesy of Barrie McKay's fourth goal of the season.
Although Robbie Neilson's side scored just once against the Saints, they dominated large spells of the game, enjoying the lion's share of possession while creating multiple chances in front of goal.
Following victories over St Johnstone and Hibernian at the turn of the year, Hearts have now won three of their last four games, with six wins coming in their previous 10 league outings.
The Edinburgh outfit's seven-game unbeaten run – which comprises four wins and three draws – started more than two months ago, and Neilson's men have scored 14 goals since losing 1-0 to Rangers back in early November.
Thanks largely to the exploits of Lawrence Shankland, who finds himself atop the Premiership's scoring charts with 15 goals and two assists, Hearts are the third-highest scorers in the league, behind the top two – Celtic and Rangers.
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As for Aberdeen, they head into Wednesday's clash on the back of an extra-time defeat to Rangers, which saw them exit the Scottish League Cup at the semi-final stage.
Bojan Miovski put the Dons ahead on the stroke of half time before Ryan Jack equalised midway through the second half, but Anthony Stewart's 93rd-minute red card gave the Gers the upper hand in extra time, with Kemar Roofe scoring the winner soon after.
Aberdeen suffered four straight Premiership losses directly after the World Cup break, falling to Celtic, Rangers, St Mirren and Kilmarnock, but they have taken four points from their last two league games, recording a goalless draw with Ross County before beating St Johnstone 2-0.
There is no hiding the fact that Jim Goodwin's side have struggled for consistency this season, registering nine wins, two draws and 10 losses in the league, but they remain two points inside the top six thanks to several high-scoring victories earlier in the campaign.
Miovski has chalked up 11 Premiership goals this term, while ex-Benfica forward Duk has bagged nine goals and five assists, so the Dons are no strangers to finding the net in 2022-23.
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Hearts have several key players sidelined due to injury at the moment, including Beni Baningime and Liam Boyce, who could miss the rest of the season with ACL tears.
With veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon out with a broken leg, Zander Clark will continue to deputise between the sticks, while Craig Halkett and Gary Mackay-Steven remain sidelined due to injury.
There are also question marks over the availability of Austrian midfielder Peter Haring, who has not featured since October after suffering a concussion issue.
As for Aberdeen, club captain Stewart is suspended for the trip to Edinburgh after receiving a red card for a reckless tackle on Rangers forward Fashion Sakala in Sunday's League Cup semi-final.
Callum Roberts remains Aberdeen's sole injury absentee as he continues to recover from a hamstring problem, while American striker Christian Ramirez will likely miss Wednesday's clash as he nears a return to Major League Soccer.
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Clark; Hill, Sibbick, Rowles; Smith, Halliday, Snodgrass, Cochrane; McKay, Ginnelly; Shankland
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Roos; Richardson, McCrorie, Scales, Coulson; Ramadani, Shinnie; Kennedy, Clarkson, Lopes; Miovski
We say: Hearts 2-1 Aberdeen
Having avoided defeat in each of their past seven games, Hearts will be confident of overcoming Aberdeen, who look set to struggle without Stewart following last weekend's League Cup exit.
If the recent scoring trends of Hearts and Aberdeen are anything to go by, both teams should find the net on Wednesday, but the hosts have more than enough quality to outscore the visitors at Tynecastle.
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Top tip
Ben Morris
