HEARTS will be desperate to prove their bubble hasn't burst when they welcome a stubborn St Mirren side to Tynecastle on Saturday.
From looking like they might offer a rare than hen's teeth genuine non-Old Firm title challenge, they have slipped up alarmingly and have lost two out of their last three games at Aberdeen and Motherwell, although both were away from the capital.
Suddenly they are six points behind leaders Rangers having played a game more and they can't afford another off day against the Paisley side.
St Mirren look like once again they will be in a battle for a top six place – a battle they have lost in the past couple of seasons. Jim Goodwin's men have drawn three of their last four games and surprisingly lost to Dundee in that spell.
It's an intriguing game because no team has drawn more than the Saints and Hearts have the best home record in the league, having played a game more than the Old Firm and yet St Mirren have the best away record outside the Glasgow giants.
How the bookies view it
Hearts are very short and the best you can back them at is 19/25 with Novibet. St Mirren can be backed at 9/2 with bet365 and SBK have the draw at 27/10.
Recent head to heads
Hearts were flying when the sides met in Renfrewshire earlier this season and chalked up a 2-1 win as can be seen below. Hearts are unbeaten in their last four clashes with Saints in Edinburgh.
Players to watch
Liam Boyce's recent injury coincided with Hearts' dip in form and that's no coincidence. The predatory hitman can make the difference and is 17/10 to add to his ten goals this season with Paddy Power.
Eamonn Brophy has recently approached something close to the form that earned him international recognition with Scotland. He also takes the penalties and is 3/1 with Paddy Power to score in Gorgie.
Anything else catch the eye?
Hearts are usually very strong at home, but St Mirren are a tough nut to crack. All roads point to the draw in this one and it wouldn't be a shock if the sides shared the spoils again.
There's serious bad blood between the clubs that lingers back to Hearts' 1986 infamous title collapse when Celtic hammered St Mirren and it escalated when Hearts were relegated when the season was curtailed. There was a red card in the earlier meeting and there should be cards here at Tynecastle too.
With Hearts third and St Mirren sixth in the top-scoring charts, there should be goals and anything better than evens for over 2.5 goals should be snapped up, si SBK's 19/17 is a good shout.
This Scottish Premiership match between Hearts and St Mirren will be played on Nov 27, 2021 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Hearts vs St Mirren prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
