AFTER hosting a Pittodrie title party last Saturday, Aberdeen face Hearts on Friday night in their final home game of the season.
The Dons have been Scottish football's second force for the last four seasons but following back-to-back defeats to the Old Firm Derek McInnes' men have dropped to fourth in the Scottish Premiership.
The bookmakers believe the Dandies will bounce back here with three points, with a home win priced at 13/20 (Bet365). Hearts head for the Granite City having failed to win 10 of their last 14 games and are as high as 19/4 (Bet365) to win on the night. The Jambos' last road trip seen them draw at Easter Road and a repeat of that outcome is on offer at 11/4 (BetVictor)
The odds on the Tynecastle team taking anything from this game have heightened since Craig Levein revealed he plans to rest his key players ahead of the Scottish Cup Final in just over two weeks time. The Hearts boss' hand has also been forced after man mountain Uche Ikpeazu hobbled off in last weekend's home defeat to Kilmarnock.
Hearts prop up the top half of the table following a wretched run of one league win in seven. That solitary success came against Aberdeen and a repeat of that result on Friday night would certainly ease the pressure on Craig Levein – whom the Gorgie faithful are rapidly running out of patience with.
Aberdeen themselves are in need of a victory as they aim to finish 3rd in their fight with Kilmarnock for a place in next season's Europa League. The Dandies' home form has been their downfall this season. A pitiful run at Pittodrie has seen Aberdeen record only two home wins in 2019.
The Dons however do have one of the division's most devastating strikers in the shape of Sam Cosgrove. The big Englishman has banged in 20 goals for McInnes' side this season and Cosgrove can add to that tally in his bid to finish the season as the top flight's top scorer. Back Cosgrove to strike again at 21/20 (BoyleSports).
Whether or not Cosgrove nets remains to be seen but don't bank on this being a high-scoring encounter as both of these sides could well cancel each other out. Aberdeen are far from the most adventurous side in the Premiership and that coupled with Craig Levein's notoriously negative tactics points towards a low-scoring night in the north-east.
With this in mind, backing under 2.5 goals could well be profitable and provide a winning start to your weekend at 4/6 (bet365)
Given Aberdeen's abysmal home form, combined with Hearts' hapless end to the season, it's difficult to make a case for either of these sides to prevail at Pittodrie. Be that as it may, the Dons need for three points here is greater as the race for 3rd place hots up.
Furthermore, Hearts appear to have abandoned their league campaign to focus on the Cup Final. Consequently, Aberdeen can edge this encounter by Winning To Nil at 8/5 (BoyleSports).
This Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Hearts will be played on May 10, 2019 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Aberdeen vs Hearts prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.