Both Hearts and Motherwell will be looking to get back to winning ways on Saturday when they face each other in the SPL, with the visitors being without a victory in the league throughout 2022.
The hosts are seven points ahead of the Steelmen right now, which is a gap they shall be attempting to extend as they look to keep putting pressure on the top two teams in the division.
Match preview
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Hearts were defeated in midweek when they faced Celtic in an important fixture at the top of the table; however, they were beaten 2-1, despite a goal from Liam Boyce.
However, prior to that the Jambos were in strong form having won four matches in a row across all competitions, scoring 10 goals while only conceding one, showcasing their qualities at both ends of the field.
That is something Robbie Nielson's men have done all season, with only the Old Firm rivals having found the back of the net more, and let in fewer goals which is an impressive statistic.
Their attacking threat has mainly come from Boyce this season, and he is the joint-third highest scorer in the entire league, highlighting just how well he is playing on a personal level.
With 12 points between them and the Hoops right now, Hearts do need to start putting together a run of form if they want to break into the top two, while a victory will keep their opponents at arms length.
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Motherwell are just one place behind the Jambos at the moment, with seven points separating them, which is why a victory for Graham Alexander's men could have a big impact on their season.
However, they are yet to win in the league this year, having lost to Ross County following the winter break in a result the Steelmen would rather forget about.
Motherwell then followed that up with a goalless draw in midweek against Hibernian, with the team having to finish the match with just 10 men after Liam Donnelly saw red.
The two previous meetings have produced 2-0 results, with each team having picked up one victory each, with bragging rights on the line between the clubs in this encounter.
Connor Shields and Ricki Lamie were both on target in their most recent match, which also saw Taylor Moore sent off for Hearts, and that is a result they would be keen to repeat this time around.
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Team News
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Ellis Simms has recently joined Hearts on loan from Everton, and he could be in line to make his debut for the club this weekend, providing another attacking option for the squad.
However, they might end up missing Michael Smith and Craig Halkett as both men were forced off the pitch due to injuries against Celtic, casting doubts over their eligibility.
Donnelly's red card will create at least one change for Motherwell on Saturday, with Alexander having to shift around his midfield to accommodate the situation.
Kevin van Veen was given the chance to start in the goalless draw, and that is something that could continue as he plays alongside Shields and Jordan Roberts.
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Souttar, Kingsley, Atkinson; Devlin, Haring, Cochrane, Baningime; McKay, Simms, Boyce
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; O'Donnell, Johansen, Carroll, McGinley; Goss, Maguire, Slattery; Van Veen, Shields, Roberts
We say: Hearts 1-0 Motherwell
With the two teams next to each other in the league table, there is obviously going to be little to separate them, as they have been evenly matched throughout the season.
Having won a game each against each other within the campaign, they know how to get three points at the expense of the other, but Hearts could just edge this one with their attacking quality.
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 59.57%. A draw had a probability of 22.3% and a win for Motherwell had a probability of 18.11%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hearts win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.61%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.78%) and 2-1 (9.87%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.61%), while for a Motherwell win it was 0-1 (5.71%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 10.8% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Hearts would win this match.
