Hearts manager Robbie Neilson has named his starting XI that will take on Kilmarnock in Premier Sports Cup round of 16 action.
It's another match in a relentless schedule for the Jambos and they will be keen to make the last eight. Neilson was hit with a blow pre-match in the form of long-term injuries to Liam Boyce and Kye Rowles. Alex Cochrane and Toby Sibbick return from suspension and the former starts. It's a game too soon though for fellow defender Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley, plus midfielder Jorge Grant.
Lawrence Shankland, Barrie McKay and Alan Forrest were rested on Sunday and all three come back in to form part of a four-man Hearts attack alongside winger Josh Ginnelly. Gary Mackay-Steven turns 32 today and he said of the match: “Cup competitions are always huge. We all love playing at Tynecastle, it’s the best place to be. There’ll be no shortage of motivation for us because we feel we’ve got a squad that’s well equipped to deal with what will be a tough game against Kilmarnock.
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“We want to go out, put on show, and score some goals. Having the full houses help greatly, it gives us motivation to do well. The backing of the fans makes Tynecastle very difficult for the opposition to play in.”
Hearts XI: Gordon, M Smith, Neilson, Cochrane, Halliday, Haring, Devlin, Forrest, McKay, Ginnelly, Shankland.
Subs: Stewart, Mackay-Steven, Sibbick, Henderson, C.Smith, Denholm, Tait.
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