Hearts v Queen of the South: team news, starting XI, odds, how to watch

Hearts were given a guard of honour the last time they faced Queen of the South. Picture: SNS

It is the final fixture before Robbie Neilson leads his side out at Hampden Park a week on Sunday against Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.

Hearts were victorious last weekend with a 2-0 win over Greenock Morton at Cappielow.

A familiar face in former player Allan Johnston will be in the opposition dugout on Saturday. His Queen of the South side have picked up just four points from six games.

They were turned over 3-0 by John Robertson's exciting Inverness CT side on the BBC last Friday night.

Team news: There is plenty of positive news on the injury front. John Souttar is the only absentee with the likes of Josh Ginnelly and Elliot Frear back in the mix having trained all week. Neilson has said that if those players who have been out are to be involved against Celtic they will need to pick up minutes against Queen of the South.

Possible XI: Gordon; Smith, Halkett, Berra, Kingsley; Haring, Irving, Halliday; Walker, Boyce, Naismith.

What Neilson said: “There's a game in 10 days time but for us it's all about the league this season, it's the most important thing. When you play for Hearts you have to win every single game. I don't see there being any issues at all about focus for Saturday. We had a wee period where we lost a couple of games and it was the end of the world for everyone externally. Internally we just get on with it, make sure we are ready for the next game and we managed to get a result at Morton.”

Match details: Saturday, December 12. Kick-off 3pm, Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh.

How to watch: There are three ways for Hearts fans to watch their team in action. Season ticket holders who haven’t opted for the club’s alternative value season ticket package can watch the game via Hearts FC Pass. Fans of both teams can watch via PPV. International-based supporters can watch via Hearts TV if they are subscribers.

Last meeting: The previous competitive fixture at the end of March 2015 was a memorable one for Robbie Neilson and the club’s fans. The 2-0 win over the Doonhamers courtesy of goals from Osman Sow and Alim Ozturk was followed by celebrations having won the Scottish Championship at the first time of asking, ahead of rivals Hibs and Rangers. The team were given a guard of honour prior to the fixture.

Key stat: Hearts are unbeaten in their last 19 competitive fixtures with Queen of the South, stretching back to 1963 when they last tasted defeat against the Dumfries side.

Referee: Willie Collum – It is the official's first Hearts game at Tynecastle without any fans. It could be his most relaxed outing in Gorgie with him not being a hugely popular figure amongst supporters. Collum was in charge of the team’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over Hibs at the end of October.

Odds: Hearts 1/4 Draw 21/4 Queen of the South 17/2