GREENOCK Morton desperately need points in their Championship survival scrap but face a daunting task as newly crowned kings Hearts come to Cappielow.
With just three games left to play, Morton find themselves stuck in the relegation play-off place, although a win in this clash would take them above Ayr and level on points with Arbroath.
After this match, Gus MacPherson’s men finish the campaign with a home game against relegated Alloa then a trip to Arbroath on the final day. If they can defeat the Jambos you would fancy their chances of staying up but it’s easy to see why the bookies make Robbie Neilson’s men hot favourites.
Hearts thrashed Alloa 6-0 last time out to seal the title in a game where two of my tips came up. They have since had 11 days to put their feet up, which will feel like a month off amidst this season’s crammed fixture list.
But Morton were in Scottish Cup action on Friday night and played 120 draining minutes against Motherwell before suffering the agony of crashing out on penalties.
That will have taken a lot out of Gus MacPherson’s players and it would be a shock if they managed to bounce back by beating the champions.
How the bookies view it
It’s no great surprise to see Hearts as McBookie’s 4/9 favourites while Morton are 11/2 outsiders with the same firm. The stalemate pays 10/3.
Recent head to head
Hearts are unbeaten in their last nine games with Morton since a 2-1 loss at Tynecastle way back in 1985. The Greenock men have lost seven of those clashes, including a 2-0 defeat at Cappielow earlier this season (below). But they can take some heart from a 1-1 Tynecastle draw when these sides last met.
Players to watch
Liam Boyce netted a hat-trick last time out as Hearts thrashed Alloa 6-0 to seal the title. The Northern Ireland international is 5/4 with Paddy Power to net here and that looks decent value.
Robbie Muirhead will be going up against his old club and is decent form, with two goals in his last four games. The striker is 9/2 with Bet365 for another here.
Anything else catch the eye?
This should be a comfortable win for the Jambos against a tired Ton side, although Gus MacPherson's men will be fighting for their lives. Doubling a Hearts win with over 2.5 goals pays 11/10 at McBookie.
Fatigue could play a part so it may be worth backing most goals to come in the second period. That bet pays evens at TonyBet who also offer a slightly better 6/5 on Hearts scoring most of their goals in the second period.
Morton will bid to knock Hearts out of their stride and backing a few yellow cards for MacPherson's players could be a good move. But I've yet to see any firms offering card markets on this game yet.
This Scottish Championship match between Greenock Morton and Heart of Midlothian will be played on Apr 20, 2021 and kick off at 19:05. Check below for our tipsters best Greenock Morton vs Heart of Midlothian prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.