Ross County vs Hearts
22nd January 1945hrs
Football – Scotland – Premiership
Pick Under 2.5 goals
Bookmaker Marathonbet
Odds: 4/5 odds taken 2000 GMT, Monday 20 January
It’s a huge game in the context of the relegation battle in Scotland. Bottom place Hearts travel north to face a Ross County team who can move 11 points clear of their opponents with a win.
Table of Contents
Ross County Preview – Can County return to winning ways following three defeats in four matches?
Over halfway into Ross County’s return to the top-flight and their joint-managers will be happy with how it’s going. Steve Ferguson and Stuart Kettlewell prepare their team for the visit of Hearts with County sitting in eighth spot and eight points clear of bottom place. They also have a game in hand, albeit that is away to Rangers.
The disappointment for County is that they find themselves out of the Scottish Cup at the first hurdle having lost out to Championship outfit Ayr United on Saturday. It stretches their run without a win to four games after taking only a point from their last three league games of 2019.
Hearts Preview – Will Hearts build on their cup win at the weekend and move closer to relegation rivals?
2019 was a pretty terrible year for Hearts, managing only six wins in the league. They just about crept into the top six last season but a continuation of that dire run of form mean they find themselves bottom and five points behind Hamilton who are their closest rival. Daniel Stendl has a huge job on his hands to lead the club to safety but he has at least got his first win since taking over, a 5-0 win over League One Airdrie in the Scottish Cup.
Stendl knows that whilst the cup win will be good for confidence, he will ultimately be judged on league results and that starts with the trip to the Highlands on Wednesday.
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Stendl is trying to shape his squad as he wants it and that means another turnover of players at a club who have become know for their excessive use of the transfer windows. The German coach has already shown his authority by removing the captaincy from Christophe Berra and telling the defender he no longer has a future at the club.
How these changes impact upon results remains to be seen, but if they don’t start moving up the table then it would put the spotlight on Stendl sooner rather than later.
Ross County vs Hearts Betting Advice
A lot has changed for Hearts since these sides first met this season, way back in August. It was poor quality game which ended 0-0 but one which Ross County were the better team. And also missed a penalty in. Draws are not much use for Hearts in their current circumstance as they look to move closer to the teams above them.
Key Facts – Ross County vs Hearts Betting Tip
- Ross County lost out to Ayr in the Scottish Cup at the weekend, stretching their winless run to four
- Hearts sit bottom of the Premiership having won only two league games this season
- It was a goalless drawn when the sides met at Tynecastle back in August
It’s going to be a tough as for the visitors considering they have managed to collect just five points from a possible 30 away from home. They’ve also only scored six goals on the road this season.
Saturday will have given Hearts some confidence but I would be reluctant to side with them just yet. Instead, I expect this to be a tight affair. Six of the last eight meetings between the teams have had two or less goals. I advise backing under 2.5 goals in this match.
The best betting odds for Ross County vs Hearts
Ross County to win: 2/1 at Bet365
Draw: 23/10 at Bet365
Hearts to win: 13/10 at Bet365
