HEARTS will be looking to maintain their flawless start to the season when they face Dunfermline at East End Park on Friday night.
The Jam Tarts were controversially relegated when the 2019/20 campaign was curtailed but Robbie Neilson's men have hit the ground running in their bid to return to the Scottish Premiership at the first time of asking.
Both of my recommended bets banked when Hearts hit Dundee for six during their capital curtain-raiser and Neilson's charges have since chalked up Championship wins over Arbroath and Inverness Caledonian Thistle respectively.
A Scottish Cup semi-final triumph over old foes Hibernian at Hampden on Halloween has also helped lift the mood at Tynecastle following a tumultuous 2020.
Hearts take their unbeaten record to Fife on Friday night where they will come up against a Dunfermline side who themselves have enjoyed a strong start to the season.
The Pars, having played a game extra, sit one place above Hearts in the Scottish Championship standings, and it's worth noting that Stevie Crawford's troops have yet to taste defeat this season having amassed 10 points from a possible 12 thus far.
Outright Betting
Dunfermline have won seven of their eight competitive fixtures this season, however, the hosts are the unfancied underdogs here at 4/1 with UniBet, while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 13/5 with Bet 365.
Hearts have emerged victorious in six of their last seven visits to this venue and another road success for Robbie Neilson and co is priced up at 4/5 with William Hill.
Betting Angles
Goals have been a regular feature of Dunfermline's fixtures this season and I see no reason to oppose that trend during this dust-up at East End Park on Friday night.
Indeed, the Pars played out a scrappy stalemate away at Ayr in their last league outing, however, four of the Fifers last five matches across all competitions have produced four or more strikes.
What's more, five of Hearts last six outings have featured over 2.5 goals and a repeat here will tempt plenty of punters at 4/5 with Betfair.
However, I'm going to opt for an alternative angle when making use of the Bet 365 Bet Builder feature by combining over one match goal and each team to collect at least one card, which is an eye-catching Even-Money shot at Bet 365.
Both teams have obliged in five of the seven Scottish Championship matches that these two teams have contested collectively so far and given the attacking talent that both sides carry I fancy goals to flow in Fife.
It's also worth noting that the above-mentioned combination has clicked in five of Hearts' last six games and that only adds to the appeal of siding with a repeat on Friday night.
I'll also dip into the team cards market and take the Even-Money on offer with Bet 365 for Dunfermline to collect over one card during this contest.
With an open and entertaining contest expected at East End there is plenty potential for cynical fouls, not to mention referee Don Robertson is averaging 4.4 cards per game this term.
With that in mind, coupled with the fact that Crawford's crew picked up two or more bookings during recent bouts with Falkirk, Inverness and Ayr, the above-mentioned card punt looks overpriced given that red-hot Hearts' will represent an upgrade on those previous challenges.
This Scottish Championship match between Dunfermline and Hearts will be played on Nov 20, 2020 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Dunfermline vs Hearts prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.