Hearts v Dundee: team news, starting XI, odds, how to watch live

Dundee beat Hearts 3-1 the last time the teams met. Picture: SNS

The league leaders have dropped points in their last three matches, all games finishing 1-1.

Still, the Tynecastle side continue to hold a strong lead at the top of the division.

They welcome Dundee to Gorgie hoping for a repeat of the match on the opening night of the Championship when Hearts sent out a strong message, winning 6-2. The return clash in the City of Discovery saw Robbie Neilson’s men go down 3-1.

Team news: Hearts suffered a few knocks in last Friday’s 1-1 draw with Inverness CT. Both Michael Smith and Steven Naismith were substituted in the second half, while Robbie Neilson revealed Liam Boyce also had a niggle in the aftermath. Smith, as well as Boyce, is expected to make the Dundee clash while captain Naismith is regarded as “touch-and-go”.

Possible XI: Gordon; Smith, Popescu, Halkett, Kingsley; Mackay-Steven, McEneff, Halliday, Walker; Gnanduillet, Boyce.

What the manager said: “We want to get back to winning ways and back to scoring goals but we know we lost against Dundee last time. We had a great result at home against them in the first league game but away from home it was a different story.

“We are looking for a win after three draws but they are exactly the same. They are four games without a win at the moment.”

Match details: Saturday, March 6. Kick-off 3pm, Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh.

How to watch: The game, unlike the previous two fixtures, is not live on BBC Scotland. Season ticket holders who have not opted out of games can watch the match via HeartsFCpass.com. A Pay Per View option is available for both sets of fans from here. The game is also available for Hearts TV’s international subscribers.

Last meeting: The first game for both sides in 2021 saw Dundee emerge deserved 3-1 victors. The Saturday night clash saw Hearts struggle with the hosts taking a 2-0 half-time lead thanks to goals, assisted by Charlie Adam, from former Tynecastle midfielder Jordan McGhee and Danny Mullen. Andy Irving made a positive impact off the bench and made it 2-1 with more than half an hour remaining minutes before Jonathan Afolabi secured the three points late on.

Key stat: Saturday’s game is a meeting between the two sides that average most number of goals and crosses per 90 minutes and average the largest share of possession. For Dundee, come the game it will be one one day short of a year since their last 0-0. For Hearts, you have to go back to January 22, 2020 and a stalemate with Ross County.

Referee: Don Robertson – The official oversaw the Betfred Cup final between St Johnstone and Livingston at the weekend. However, Neilson won’t enjoy the sight of Robertson being selected for the game. Back in January the referee was in charge of the previous meeting with Dundee. Afterwards the Hearts boss said: “We’ve lost two games this season and twice Don Robertson was refereeing. It’s a common theme. I’m hoping we don’t see much of him again this season.”

Match odds: Hearts 4/6 Draw 14/5 Dundee 4/1