Ross County and Hearts, both looking to end winless streaks in the Scottish Premiership, will come together at the Global Energy Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts are 11th in the league table and trail safety by two points, while the visitors are eighth in the standings and five points clear of the bottom two.
Match preview
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Ross County have endured a tough few years in the Scottish Premiership ever since managing an impressive fifth-placed finish in 2021-22, with the Staggies fighting against relegation in the seasons since.
They finished 11th in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, narrowly extending their top-flight status by defeating Partick Thistle on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw in 2022-23 and overcoming Raith Rovers 6-1 on aggregate in the 2023-24 relegation playoff final.
Don Cowie would have been aiming to steer Ross County clear of a third consecutive appearance in the relegation playoffs, but with just four games remaining, the Staggies once again occupy 11th place.
Cowie appeared to be on course to succeed in achieving that objective as they placed eighth with only four pre-split fixtures remaining, but defeats in each of those matches saw them fall closer to the bottom two.
That run continued into the relegation round matches, with Ross County suffering a 2-0 defeat to Kilmarnock, meaning the Staggies dropped below Dundee - who defeated Hearts - and into the relegation playoff place.
Now trailing safety by two points with just four games remaining, Cowie will be desperate for his side to end their losing run and start picking up crucial points, starting with Saturday's clash against Hearts.
The Jambos will be deeply disappointed with how their 2024-25 season has played out, as after two third-placed and a fourth-placed finish in the last three years, Hearts would have been expecting another top half finish this term.
However, Hearts have instead experienced a campaign riddled with inconsistency and setbacks, including the dismissals of both Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley.
Naismith was dismissed during a dismal start to the season in which Hearts failed to secure a win in their first 10 matches across all competitions, while his successor, Critchley, was sacked following a disappointing pre-split finish that left Hearts outside the top six and eliminated from the Scottish FA Cup at the semi-final stage.
Hearts missed out on a sixth-placed finish by one heartbreaking point, and while Critchley initially kept his job, a 1-0 home defeat to Dundee in the first post-split match saw the end of the manager's tenure.
Now aiming to bounce back from defeat and end the season on a more positive note, interim manager Liam Fox will look to record a much-needed victory against Ross County on Saturday.
Relegation will still be on the minds of the Hearts players, as they hold just a five point lead over Saturday's opponents, meaning a win is of paramount importance to avoid that gap becoming just two points with three games remaining.
Team News
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Noah Chilvers (cruciate ligament), Ryan Leak (Achilles tendon) and Aidan Denholm (hamstring) are all ruled out of Saturday's clash due to ongoing injury issues, while Scott Allardice could be a doubt after coming off in the last match with an injury problem.
Joshua Nisbet could replace Allardice at the base of midfield, with Connor Randall and Nohan Kenneh retaining their positions slightly further forward, while Akil Wright and Zachary Ashworth are likely to feature from wide areas.
In attack, Ronan Hale and Jordan White have netted 15 league goals between them this campaign, and the striking duo are expected to continue their partnership in this one.
As for Hearts, Gerald Taylor is anticipated to be the only absentee due to injury, with the defender not likely to feature again for the Jambos until later this month.
Lawrence Shankland is a doubt after missing out on the defeat to Dundee due to an injury, but the forward should be fit for a return to the squad here, while James Wilson is also available after serving his suspension.
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Amissah; Tomkinson, Lopata, Campbell; Wright, Randall, Nisbet, Kenneh, Ashworth; White, Hale
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Forrester, Kent, McCart, Penrice; Baningime, Devlin; Kartum, Grant, Spittal; Kabangu
We say: Ross County 1-2 Hearts
Ross County are in desperate need of points to move away from the relegation battle, but following the dismissal of Critchley, we expect Hearts to receive the 'new manager bounce' and secure a victory here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
