David Flower
Dailysports's expert
St. Mirren
Hearts
One of the matches of the upcoming round of the Scottish Cup will be played on Monday at the "SMISA Stadium," where St. Mirren will face Hearts. Here’s a betting suggestion on the outcome of this encounter with good chances of success.
Match Preview
St. Mirren was considered one of the contenders for a spot in the top six before the season started, and their squad supported such ambitions. However, Stephen Robinson's team was not seen as a clear favorite in the battle for high positions.
Currently, the "Saints" sit in eighth place in the standings with 30 points, but the situation remains very tense. The gap from tenth-placed Ross County is just three points, making any defeat potentially critical. The team has already suffered 11 losses this season, including their latest home defeat to St. Johnstone (0:1).
Hearts entered the season as one of the contenders for European competition, but they began losing points from the first rounds and fell into a prolonged crisis. At the moment, Neil Critchley's side is in 7th place, trailing sixth-placed Hibernian by just one point.
However, recent results give reason for optimism. Hearts remain unbeaten this year and have recorded five wins in six matches. Notably, they demolished Dundee 6:0 away in their last match. Clearly, Hearts are determined to break into the top six, but first, they need to focus on the Scottish Cup.
Probable Lineups
- St. Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Bwomono, Phillips, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, Tanser, Kiltie, Olusanya
- Hearts: Gordon, Forrester, Halkett, Rowles, Penrice, Devlin, Grant, Drammeh, Boyce, Spittal, Wilson
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- The teams have already played twice this season, exchanging home wins.
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet has won in three out of five matches.
- The "Total Over 2.5" bet has won in the last four matches.
Prediction
Hearts are clearly in better form right now, and bookmakers give the visitors a justified edge, pricing their win at 2.23. We suggest taking "Hearts to win with a handicap (0)" at odds of 1.65.
