Preview: Hearts vs Inverness Caledonian Thistle - prediction, team news, lineups

Hearts will welcome Inverness Caledonian Thistle to Tynecastle Park on Sunday for a second round matchup in the Scottish League Cup.

The hosts enter the competition at this stage, while the visitors progressed into this round with a first-placed finish in Group F.

Match preview

Hearts have endured a challenging start to the 2026-27 season under new manager Wouter Vrancken, who was appointed after Derek McInnes' departure to Rangers.

The Belgian boss won two of his three pre-season fixtures, including a particularly positive 2-1 win against Rayo Vallecano, but the Jambos failed to carry that momentum into the new campaign.

Hearts opened 2026-27 with a crushing 4-0 loss to Sturm Graz in the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round, which they eventually lost 6-0 on aggregate.

The Jambos followed that up with further defeats to Aberdeen (2-1) in their opening Scottish Premiership match, and to Benfica (6-1) in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie.

Hearts finally secured their first win of the campaign against Dundee United last weekend on matchday two of the league season, emphatically winning 4-0, followed by drawing 1-1 with Benfica.

Despite that draw ensuring their 7-2 defeat and elimination from the Europa League, Hearts will draw confidence from two matches unbeaten, and they will now aim to extend that streak by securing a win in this Scottish League Cup second round.

The Jambos will be the favourites as they come up against Scottish Championship opponents Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Sunday's visitors may remain unbeaten at the start of the 2026-27 term, featuring three wins and three draws, but they are certainly the underdogs against the Scottish Premiership hosts.

Inverness started their campaign with three wins and one draw - winning on penalties - from their four league cup fixtures, securing a surprise first-placed finish in Group F.

However, Scott Kellacher's side have failed to build on that momentum in their opening Championship fixtures, drawing 0-0 with both Dunfermline and Arbroath.

Inverness CT will now look to snap that winless run when they take on Hearts, with the visitors hoping to progress past the second round of the Scottish League Cup for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals in 2015.

Hearts form (all competitions):

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Scottish League Cup form:

Inverness Caledonian Thistle form (all competitions):

Team News

Hearts will be without the availability of Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Craig Halkett, Stephen Kingsley and Ageu for this match due to ongoing injury issues.

Vrancken could decide to name a strong side as the manager looks for his side to start building momentum, meaning the likes of Claudio Braga, Calvin Miller and Stuart Findlay could all start.

Meanwhile, Inverness Caledonian Thistle have kept clean sheets in all of their last five matches across all competitions, meaning Kellacher may name an unchanged defence on Sunday.

However, the visitors have failed to score in their last two matches, which may lead Kellacher to switch his starting attack, meaning the likes of Morgan Bates and Luis Longstaff could come into the lineup.

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Reus; Altena, McEntee, Findlay, McCart; Spittal, Renaud; Miller, Guendouz, McPake; Braga

Inverness Caledonian Thistle possible starting lineup:

Munro; MacLeod, Boutin, Devine, Savage; MacKinnon, Shinnie; Longstaff, Stewart, Bates; Kargbo

We say: Hearts 3-0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Hearts may have endured a slow start to the term, but they will be encouraged from their last two results and will be confident of securing the victory against lower league opposition on Sunday.

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