Ross County will be aiming to break into the top half of the Scottish Premiership table on Saturday when they welcome Hearts to the Global Energy Stadium.
The visitors are comfortable in third place, with a strong gap between them and the chasing pack, and they are enjoying a four-match run without a loss.
Match preview
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Ross County are currently seventh in the league, but they have the chance to climb up to fourth with a victory this weekend should other results go in their favour as well.
There is not much separating the teams in the middle of the table, and equally, that means a defeat has the possibility of sinking them into 10th, just above the relegation zone.
Prior to the international break, the Staggies were dealt a heavy 4-0 defeat at the hands of Celtic, which is something that Malky Mackay will be hoping his squad can improve upon.
Before that match, Ross County enjoyed three consecutive victories, keeping clean sheets in two of those wins.
Mackay's men have had mixed results at home this season, winning five times, drawing six, and losing four of their fixtures so far, and a little more consistency is something they will be looking for.
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On the other hand, Hearts boast the third-best record away from home this season, securing 20 points from their 15 matches.
The Jambos are undefeated in their previous five matches in all competitions, which is something that they will be hoping to increase as they continue their impressive campaign.
Right now Robbie Nielson's team find themselves in third place, 14 points clear of those chasing them, and the focus will be on trying to shrink the gap to the Old Firm rivals above them.
Hearts have scored 13 goals in their last six outings, which has highlighted their attacking qualities, and the team will be aiming to add more goals this weekend.
In their most recent performance, the squad were able to pick up three points by defeating Livingston 2-0, with Beni Baningime and Barrie McKay getting on the scoresheet.
Ross County have been unable to defeat the Jambos this season, with the two teams drawing their first encounter, while Hearts won their following game which will provide a lot of confidence to the group.
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Team News
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Kayne Ramsay was sent off during Ross County's previous match, which means he will start to serve his suspension on Saturday, forcing at least one change from the lineup that was defeated by Celtic.
David Cancola returned from injury during that game, making an appearance from the bench, but Josh Sims has still been working back to fitness during the international break.
Hearts were dealt a blow recently as it was confirmed that Baningime is set to miss the remainder of this season due to damaging his cruciate ligament.
Aaron McEneff worked his way into the starting lineup for the most recent performance due to his work in the Scottish Cup, and he will be an option that could keep his place in the team.
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Laidlaw; Watson, Baldwin, Iacovitti, Randall; Tillson, Callachan; Paton, Hungbo, Charles-Cook; White
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Atkinson, Halkett, Kingsley, Halliday; Haring, Cochrane; McEneff, Boyce, McKay; Simms
We say: Ross County 1-2 Hearts
Ross County have been strong as of late, despite losing their most recent outing, but this could prove to be a tough test against one of the best teams in the league.
Hearts have been dominant this season, and they have proven their quality on a consistent basis, which could give them the edge in this particular match.
Top tip
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 53.61%. A draw had a probability of 23.9% and a win for Ross County had a probability of 22.46%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hearts win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.17%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.73%) and 0-2 (9.56%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.37%), while for a Ross County win it was 1-0 (6.65%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.4% likelihood.
