Hearts vs Livingston Prediction: Both teams will not have it easy

Hearts will try to get back on track in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night when they play home to Livingston. Hearts have not won in their last three matches in the Scottish Premiership. The fact that the guests are now only one point above the zone, indicating their relegation, adds a significant amount of pressure to this specific matchup. 

After suffering a 2-1 loss against Rangers in their most recent Premiership contest, Hearts will be hoping to have better luck this time around. During that match, Hearts had 31% possession of the ball and 5 shots on goal, with only 1 of those shots hitting the target. In the fifth minute, Hearts' Lawrence Shankland got on the scoresheet for his team. The Rangers had 28 shots on goal, but only five were on target. Both James Tavernier and Danilo scored for the Rangers in the 90th and 93rd minutes, respectively. The Hearts team, coached by Steven Naismith, has found the back of the net eight times in their most recent six matches. There have been a total of eight goals scored against them in those matches, making them the team with the worst goal differential. When looking at their previous performances, it can be seen that Hearts have not been defeated in the league by Livingston in their most recent two matches.

This will be something that Livingston looks to take advantage of over the upcoming weekend, especially considering the fact that a victory for them this midweek will guarantee that they move above Hearts in the league table, all while moving farther away from the relegation zone themselves. The fact that the Lions have lost consecutive games since their return from the international break has not helped the situation, as there is currently only one point separating them from Ross County. Following a defeat against Kilmarnock, the David Martindale-led team went on to lose to Dundee by a score of 2-0 after conceding late goals, just like their previous opponents. After Cristian Montano was taken to the locker room for an early shower, Joe Shaughnessy scored a brace in the 82nd and 85th minutes to ensure that the Lions would complete the game with no points and with only 10 players. Livingston's defense has struggled on the road so far this season, as evidenced by the fact that they have already let up 11 goals in just five games.

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Clark; Sibbick, Kent, Rowles; Cochrane, Nieuwenhof, Devlin, Grant, Lowry; Vargas, Shankland

Livingston possible starting lineup:

George; De Lucas, Devlin, Brandon; McKay, Holt, S. Kelly, Penrice, Bradley; Nouble, Anderson

Both of these teams have not been playing with a lot of confidence as of late, and it is likely that this lack of confidence will be something that is reflected in the actual game that will be played on Wednesday night. Due to the fact that both Livingston and Hearts are searching for points, this match is expected to be a close one; nevertheless, due to the performance that Hearts delivered against Rangers over the weekend, the home team is expected to come out on top.