Preview:Aberdeen vs Hearts - prediction, team news, lineups

Aberdeen will welcome Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts to Pittodrie Stadium on Sunday for a matchday 13 encounter.

The hosts are eighth in the standings with 11 points from 11 games, while the visitors are top of the table with 30 points from 12 outings.

Match preview

Aberdeen, after a 2024-25 campaign full of ups and downs, were able to end last season on a hugely successful note, finishing fifth in the Scottish Premiership and fantastically beating Celtic on penalties to lift the Scottish FA Cup trophy.

Jimmy Thelin would have been hoping to build on that success heading into this campaign, but the Dons failed to do so, enduring a miserable opening to the new term.

Aberdeen managed just one win from their first 11 matches across all competitions - a 3-0 victory over Greenock Morton in the Scottish League Cup second round - alongside two draws and eight defeats.

That run included Aberdeen's exit from the Europa League in the playoff qualifying round and their exit from the Scottish League Cup in the third round, as well as the Dons picking up just one point from their first six league games.

Thelin's side eventually ended that disastrous start with an emphatic 4-0 win over Dundee, and their fortunes appeared to be improving as they followed that up with a 1-0 win over St Mirren, but back-to-back defeats came after - including a humiliating 6-0 loss to AEK Athens in the Conference League.

Aberdeen have, however, shown signs of improvement once again in their most recent outings, defeating Kilmarnock and drawing to both AEK Larnaca and Motherwell, and Thelin will be hoping his side can continue building with another result on Sunday.

However, the Dons will face the Scottish Premiership's standout side so far this season, with league-leading Hearts set to visit Pittodrie Stadium.

The Jambos remain as the only team yet to suffer a defeat in the league, taking 30 points after nine wins and three draws from their 12 fixtures, leaving them at the top of the standings with a seven point lead over second-placed Celtic.

The Bhoys do, admittedly, have a game in hand over the Jambos, meaning their lead could narrow to four points, and Derek McInnes will be eager for his side to continue picking up victories in order to maintain, and potentially build upon, their gap at the top of the table.

The Hearts manager is actually yet to suffer defeat in normal time at his new club, with McInnes recording 13 wins and four draws from his 17 matches in charge - though they were defeated on penalties by St Mirren in the Scottish League up second round.

Despite their stunning start to the term, McInnes may be slightly concerned that his side have dropped points in two of their last three outings, which has allowed Celtic to begin closing the gap, and the Jambos boss will be looking for his side to start putting together another winning run.

Hearts will be confident of kicking that off with all three points on Sunday, with the Jambos having already claimed a triumph over Aberdeen this term, winning 2-0 back in August.

Aberdeen Scottish Premiership form:

D W L W W L

Aberdeen form (all competitions):

D D W L L W

Hearts Scottish Premiership form:

D W D W W W

Hearts form (all competitions):

D W D W W W

Team News

Aberdeen are dealing with injuries to Alfie Dorrington, Ante Palaversa, Kristers Tobers and Sivert Heltne Nilsen heading into this match, while the rest of the squad should be available for selection.

A front three of Jesper Karlsson, Marko Lazetic and Stuart Armstrong has consistently started in recent matches, and Thelin is likely to name the same attack once again in this one.

Meanwhile, Hearts will remain without Calem Nieuwenhof and Finlay Pollock until later this month due to injury issues.

Captain Lawrence Shankland is expected to continue his attacking partnership with Claudio Braga, with the pair having scored 13 league goals between them this term.

Further back, Blair Spittal and Alexandros Kyziridis could feature from wide positions, with Cameron Devlin and Beni Baningime in the middle of the park.

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:

Mitov; Devlin, Milne, Knoester; Lobban, Polvara, Shinnie, Gyamfi; Armstrong, Lazetic, Karlsson

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Schwolow; McEntee, Steinwender, Findlay, Milne; Kyziridis, Baningime, Devlin, Spittal; Shankland, Braga

We say: Aberdeen 0-2 Hearts

Aberdeen and Hearts have had extremely contrasting starts to the 2025-26 season, with the Jambos undoubtedly the favourites to claim all three points given their stunning start to the campaign.

The visitors have been strong defensively with just 10 league goals conceded, while the hosts have scored only eight goals in 11 matches, leading us to expect a clean sheet for Hearts.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.