Tuesday 26th February 2018 Kick off 1945hrs Hearts v Kilmarnock Football – Scotland – Scottish Premiership Both Hearts and Kilmarnock opted to change their manager earlier in the season and it has been a productive move for the two clubs on the evidence thus far. Craig Levein has returned to the Hearts managerial post for a second time and has transformed them into one of the hardest teams to play against in the division, whilst Steve Clarke’s surprise appointment as Kilmarnock boss has meant that the Ayrshire club are now the most improved team in the Scottish top flight. The two meet at Tynecastle on Tuesday with only two points between them – and the visitors have a couple of games in hand.
Hearts were going nowhere fast under former manager Ian Cathro and the board moved swiftly to replace him with a very experienced manager in Levein. The transformation has not been instant by any manner of means – and there is also a long way to go in order to restore Hearts to a top three or four club, however they are on the right track. Saturday’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Rangers was as abject a performance as there has been in the last couple of months and one they have to bounce back from immediately. It left them 10 points behind rivals Hibernian which is not good enough considering that Hibs only won promotion last season. It also means that Hearts have managed just one win in their last five league games suggest they have regressed somewhat. That will not be good enough for the manager, however, and he will be demanding an improved performance on Tuesday, especially at home where they are looking to protect an unbeaten record of nine in league games at Tynecastle.
Kilmarnock have been the surprise packages of the season since Steve Clarke replaced Lee McCulloch after only a few games of this season. The appointment of Clarke was seen as a real coup for the Rugby Park club and it’s certainly proven to be the case after only a few months in charge. Killie looked destined to be involved in another relegation battle before the change in management yet are now fancying their chances of challenging for Europe – either through their league position or via the Scottish Cup. To illustrate just how far they have come in a short space of time, Clarke was extremely disappointed with the fact they managed only a draw at home to Hibs on Saturday despite coming back from two goals down. The share of the points did extend their unbeaten record to five games, albeit ending their run of wins at four, and means they have lost only once in their last 13 games. The manager would have been mostly frustrated by the poor start as it meant they were always going to be up against it to reduce the gap between themselves and Hibs to nine points with two games in hand. They can, however, leapfrog the other Edinburgh club with a win on Tuesday.
Hearts v Kilmarnock Betting Tip
To think that Kilmarnock could go above Hearts should they win on Tuesday, and still have to games in hand, is testament to everything that Steve Clarke has achieved in a short space of time – especially as Hearts have been very consistent over the same period. That will not be the thoughts of Levein or his Hearts players of course, who will be looking to get out of this rut they have been in over a number of weeks. It has been two away wins in the first two meetings of these two this season, with Hearts edging the spoils 1-0 at Rugby Park in August and Kilmarnock then running out 2-1 winners at this venue in November. It was one of several excellent results for Killie on their travels under Clarke, with notable draws away to Rangers, Celtic and Hibs as well. Hearts are stronger at home than on their travels however and since returning to Tynecasltle they have been hard to beat.
This is unlikely to be the biggest of games in either team’s week as both prepare for crucial Scottish Cup quarter final games at the weekend. Both have difficult away games as Hearts travel to Motherwell whilst Kilmarnock visit Aberdeen, should they get through those games then they will be fancying their chances of springing a cup shock and going all the way. In terms of this one a real feature of the two managers is how they have been able to tighten things up at the back and the game has all the hallmarks of being a low scoring one.
Under 2.5 goals 8/13 @ Betfair
