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Aberdeen logo
Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 12
Oct 30, 2021 at 3pm UK
Pittodrie Stadium
Hearts logo

Aberdeen
2 - 1
Hearts

Watkins (49'), Ferguson (69')
McCrorie (59'), Campbell (82')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Souttar (45+2' pen.)
Woodburn (61'), Halkett (86')
Halliday (89')

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

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash between Aberdeen and Hearts, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Aberdeen were able to hold Rangers to a draw in their most recent outing, and the Dons will be keen to continue their momentum from that result on Saturday when they host Hearts.

The visitors remain the only undefeated team in the Scottish Premiership, but after drawing for a third consecutive fixture on Wednesday night, the club will be keen to get back to winning ways.


Match preview

Stephen Glass pictured during his time in interim charge of Atlanta United in September 2020© Reuters

Aberdeen currently sit in eighth place, just five points above the relegation zone, which places a lot of importance on this particular fixture.

However, the Dons have managed to pick up results during their previous two outings, having defeated Hibernian 1-0 last weekend, which they then followed up with a 2-2 draw with league leaders Rangers.

Few teams have been able to take points from the Gers this season, which made the draw an impressive one; however, there will have been frustrations as Aberdeen took a two-goal lead in this game.

Christian Ramirez and Scott Brown provided a perfect start as they went ahead in the opening 16 minutes, but a strike from Alfredo Morelos and an 81st-minute penalty by James Tavernier saw Steven Gerrard's men end up getting back into the fixture.

Stephen Glass will now be keen for his team to continue their recent form in this fixture, which could see them climb as high as fifth, potentially pulling them away from the relegation spots.

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson pictured on October 31, 2020© Reuters

However, in order to pick up three points, Aberdeen will have to become the first team to defeat Hearts in the Scottish Premiership since they returned to the division this season.

The Jam Tarts have reacted brilliantly following their promotion, adapting to the top flight with confidence, although they are currently stuck in a three-game run without a win.

No club has drawn more games than Robbie Neilson's squad, who have shared the spoils six times already in this campaign and that is a situation he would like to see change.

Hearts are only three points behind Rangers at the moment, with a victory having the possibility of putting them on top of the league by the end of the weekend.

But after a trio of 1-1 matches, the key for the visitors will to simply be more ruthless in order to ensure they take all three points at the weekend.

Aberdeen Scottish Premiership form:
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • D

Aberdeen form (all competitions):
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • D

Hearts Scottish Premiership form:
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • D

Hearts form (all competitions):
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • D



Team News

Robbie Neilson pictured in January 2018© Reuters

Aberdeen opted for a back five against Rangers on Wednesday night and that could be something that Neilson chooses to adopt again, with Brown playing a more defensive role for this club.

While Joe Lewis was able to overcome a broken nose to play in goal, Calvin Ramsey and Declan Gallagher were both unable to feature due to injuries.

Hearts were dealt a major blow in midweek when Liam Boyce was unable to feature due to a calf problem and their leading scorer is set to be a doubt once again this weekend.

Armand Gnanduillet is likely to retain his place in the team because of that, leading the line for the Jam Tarts, while Josh Ginnelly will also be hopeful of keeping his spot in the starting XI after scoring against St Johnstone.

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Campbell, McCrorie, Brown, Bates, Ojo; Hayes, Hedges, Ferguson, McGeouch; Ramirez

Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Kingsley, Halkett, Souttar; Halliday, Baningime, Devlin, Smith; Ginnelly, Gnanduillet, Woodburn


SM words green background

We say: Aberdeen 1-1 Hearts

Both teams head into this game on the back of a draw and that could be a likely outcome for this particular fixture as each club has lacked the ruthless edge to kill a game as of late.

Aberdeen do have confidence at the moment, but that is going to be met by the undefeated Hearts who are difficult to break down, which is why they might share the spoils.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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Written by
Matthew Wilkinson

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 45.09%. A win for Aberdeen had a probability of 27.64% and a draw had a probability of 27.3%.

The most likely scoreline for a Hearts win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.71%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.76%) and 0-2 (8.7%). The likeliest Aberdeen win was 1-0 (9.37%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.81%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 6.5% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Aberdeen vs Hearts

Aberdeen
27.3%
Draw
45.5%
Hearts
27.3%
11
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Stephen Glass pictured during his time in interim charge of Atlanta United in September 2020
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1514104444043
2Aberdeen16104230181234
3RangersRangers1510232791832
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd156632215724
5Motherwell157171823-522
6Dundee165472729-219
7St Mirren165381926-718
8Ross County163671230-1815
9St Johnstone1642101829-1114
10Kilmarnock163581734-1714
11Hearts163491825-713
12Hibernian162681828-1012


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