Kilmarnock and Hearts will clash in the final match of the Scottish Premiership season on Sunday afternoon, with both teams already assured of their safety.
The hosts are confirmed to place ninth in the standings, while the visitors are still battling to finish top of the relegation round table.
Match preview
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Kilmarnock, having returned to the top division in 2022-23, finished just six points clear of the relegation playoff spot in their first season, followed by an impressive surge to fourth place last term, earning a spot in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
A disappointing beginning to this campaign saw Killie win only one of their opening 13 matches across all competitions, featuring their exit from both the Europa League and Conference League.
Derek McInnes‘s side finally secured their first league victory on matchday seven with a 3-2 win over Dundee, but their early-season inconsistency persisted, leading to a ninth-placed finish in the regular season with a record of nine wins, eight draws and 16 losses.
That placed Killie just a point above 11th-placed Dundee in the relegation playoff place, but three wins and one defeat in their four post-split fixtures have secured their safety, now leading 11th-placed Ross County by eight points with one game left to play.
While McInnes’s men are unable to move up or down the table on the final day – trailing Motherwell by four points and leading Dundee by six points – Killie will want to end the season with a victory, building a stronger foundation to build upon next term.
Their opponents, Hearts, enter the game in impressive form, having won their last three matches to reclaim the top spot in the relegation round table, after briefly dropping to eighth following a 1-0 defeat to Dundee in the first post-split fixture.
The Jambos have endured a notably underwhelming campaign compared to their usual standards, having established themselves among the ‘best of the rest’ in recent Scottish Premiership seasons.
Having finished third, fourth and third in the last three seasons, Hearts had expectations of another European finish this term, but a poor start set the tone, ultimately leaving them unable to even secure a spot in the top six.
Hearts failed to win any of their opening 10 matches across all competitions, a run that included Steven Naismith‘s dismissal, and while Neil Critchley briefly improved form, the former Blackpool boss was also sacked after a painful end to the campaign.
The Jambos were well-positioned to secure sixth place late in the season, but two defeats and a final-day draw saw them narrowly miss out, finishing seventh and just one point behind St Mirren.
The opening match defeat to Dundee proved to be Critchley’s last, with Liam Fox taking charge on an interim basis, and the caretaker manager has instantly uplifted the team with three successive wins.
Now leading eighth-placed Motherwell by one point, Hearts will aim for a victory over Killie to ensure they finish at the top of the relegation round table.
Team News
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Kilmarnock will remain without Kyle Magennis and Thomas Wilson-Brown for the final game of the season, while Danny Armstrong and Rory McKenzie are doubts after coming off with injuries in the last defeat to Motherwell.
Robbie Deas is also unable to feature against the Jambos, with the 25-year-old central defender suspended after a straight red card against the Steelmen, meaning Lewis Mayo could start at centre-back with Calvin Ramsay at full-back.
As for Hearts, Gerald Taylor remains sidelined due to a knee injury, while Kenneth Vargas is a doubt after missing the last outing due to an injury issue.
After securing their third consecutive victory, Fox is likely to stick with a largely unchanged lineup, with captain Lawrence Shankland leading the attack having scored five goals and provided two assists in his last four matches.
Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:
O’Hara; Ramsay, Mayo, Findlay, Ndaba; Murray, Watson, Donnnelly, Wales; Anderson, Vassell
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Fulton; Forrester, Kent, Halkett, Milne; Devlin, Baningime, Grant; Forrest, Shankland, Dhanda
We say: Kilmarnock 1-3 Hearts
While Kilmarnock’s winning run was brought to an end in their last outing, Hearts maintained their positive momentum with a third straight triumph, and we believe the Jambos will continue that streak with another victory.
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