Kilmarnock and Hearts meet in the Scottish Premier League, with both teams looking to pick up their first points of the 2017/18 season. This is a tough match to call and that is reflected in the betting odds.
Kilmarnock
After a defeat to League One Ayr United in their first League Cup group match, they went on to win their next four to advance to the knockout stages, although their run ended in midweek with a 5-0 defeat at Celtic.
In between that final group game and the loss to Celtic, they took on St Johnstone in their opening league match of the season. They came back strong after falling behind just ten minutes into the match, and looked to be heading for a share of the spoils. However, they conceded an 89th minute goal to suffer a narrow defeat.
They play at home for a second consecutive week, as Hearts’ stadium is being redeveloped, so have another chance to pick up three points in front of their own fans.
Hearts
Hearts are having a torrid 2017/18 so far.
They became the only Premier League side knocked out of the League Cup after the group stage, which led to their manager being dismissed before the league campaign had begun.
That league campaign then started with a defeat, as champions Celtic beat them 4-1 last weekend.
Although it’s early days in the season, another defeat may cause morale to drop even further. Low team spirit combined with a few bad results can see a team freefall into a relegation battle.
Recent League Form
- Kilmarnock – L
- Hearts – L
Head to Head
The most recent meeting between these teams was in April this year, with both sides displaying resolute defending in a goalless draw.
That was the third draw in the last six meetings, with Kilmarnock winning one, and Hearts picking up two victories.
Overall, these teams have met 85 times. Hearts have the edge with 37 wins, Kilmarnock have won 26, and there have been 22 draws.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Sky Bet have Hearts as a slight favourite, priced at 13/10. Kilmarnock are at odds of 21/10, with the draw being 23/10.
We think ‘Double Chance’ is the way to go if backing a result in this match. Kilmarnock or Draw is priced at 4/7, Hearts or Draw is 1/3, and Kilmarnock or Hearts is priced at 1/3.
With the poor form of both sides, it’s hard to find a market in which we are confident of securing a profit in this match.
Because of this, we are giving predictions based solely on previous meetings.
The last four matches between these teams have seen one or both fail to score, which makes it likely that both teams will fail to score in this match. Backing ‘No’ in the Both Teams to Score market is priced at 1/1.
Also, three of the last four meetings have had less than three goals. Under 2.5 Goals here is priced at 8/11, whilst Under 3.5 is 2/7.
Fourteen of the last fifteen meetings have had at least one goal in the first half, with the most recent 0-0 draw the only one not to. Over 0.5 Goals in the First Half is priced at 2/5 and could be worth a punt.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for this match is Under 3.5 Goals at odds of 2/7 with Sky Bet. This isn’t the greatest of odds but we think this bet provides the best potential of a profit from this match.