Now that international football is finished for the year, Heart of Midlothian once again takes centre stage as the Premiership returns with a bang this weekend.

Hearts host St Johnstone, kicking off a tricky nine-game spell that could have big ramifications for the season as a whole, and there will be a familiar face in the away dugout at Tynecastle Park as Craig Levein returns to the capital.

Allow Joel Sked and James Cairney to talk you through their predicted line-ups - with the pair disagreeing over one key position.

READ MORE: Hearts boss Steven Naismith provides injury update ahead of St Johnstone clash

Joel Sked

Hearts Standard:

Let's keep this short and sweet: Steven Naismith, in my view, will name the same starting XI in back-to-back games for the first time this season. The XI which started in the win over Motherwell performed well and should be fully fit following the international break with Beni Baningime getting a bit of rest having returned to playing regularly following a his long-term injury.

There is no reason to change. Hearts will likely face a similiar formation and game plan as they did against Motherwell, albeit St Johnstone are expected to be slightly more defensive since they are away from home. Hearts will have 65 per cent possesion, perhaps more. They did well in such situations against both Motherwell and Livingston. While the wins were by a goal the performance in both cases merited a victory by a more handsome margin. 

Earlier this week James Cairney wrote about how the best balance in a midfield trio is brought by Baningime, Cammy Devlin and Alex Lowry. Devlin, however, was removed at half-time of the Livingston game as Naismith sought a more attacking outlet. There is a strong argument for Jorge Grant to sit and give Hearts another forward-thinking passing option. Nieuwenhof would be a good in between option. Works hard defensively but can contribute on the ball, whether it is moving it or moving with it. Then you have Grant as an option off the bench alongside the likes of Yutaro Oda, Kenneth Vargas and Kyosuke Tagawa. Vargas and Oda have both been on international duty.

The rest of the team largely picks itself and Alan Forrest should continue in the right wing-back role.

Predicted line-up: Clark; Kingsley, Kent, Rowles; Forrest, Cochrane; Nieuwenhof, Baningime, Lowry; Boyce, Shankland.

READ MORE: How Hearts can get the most out of Beni Baningime, Cammy Devlin and Alex Lowry

James Cairney

I think we’ll see Naismith stick with the 3-5-2 shape that proved so effective against Motherwell in Hearts’ last outing for this match, but with one or two notable exceptions in terms of personnel. The combination of back three and a No.6 makes the team very difficult to break down in the central areas, and in possession provides a nice structure that allows Hearts to play out from the back – something that will be of utmost importance against St Johnstone. Naismith opted for a 4-2-3-1 the last time these two sides met, but Hearts struggled to make inroads until the final half hour or so at McDiarmid Park.

I’d expect the backline to remain the same for Saturday’s encounter with the Perth Saints. With Craig Halkett still regaining his fitness, a back three of Stephen Kingsley, Frankie Kent and Kye Rowles seems difficult to overlook. Alex Cochrane will surely start at left wing-back and will have to get forward to support the midfield and on the other side, I think Alan Forrest will get the nod. The former Ayr United and Livingston man was brought off early on in the second half at Fir Park when it became apparent he was struggling to deal with Motherwell’s Brodie Spencer, but I think he offers more of an out-ball and an attacking threat than Toby Sibbick, his rival for a place in the starting line-up.

I think we’ll see Beni Baningime start in the No.6 position once again, with the former Everton midfielder improving on a week-by-week basis and starting to hit the heights that he did before his lengthy injury lay-off. Alex Lowry surely has to start in the left central midfield position – but, as he was against Motherwell, the 20-year-old must be given license to get forward and provide some creativity – and on the other side, Jorge Grant is well-suited to this fixture.

Since Craig Levein took charge in Perth, St Johnstone have become more reactive and there isn’t much of a requirement for a ball-winner in the Hearts midfield. Similar to the 1-0 win over Livingston earlier this month, I’d expect Hearts to dominate the ball and much of the game will be spent trying to find a way through a well-drilled defence. For this reason, I think we could see Grant preferred over the likes of Cammy Devlin or Calem Nieuwenhof. The 29-year-old is a far more progressive player than either of the Aussies, and creativity will be required if Hearts are to seize all three points.

Lawrence Shankland, fresh from scoring his second-ever goal for Scotland during the recent international break, is bang in form and it is inconceivable that the club captain will miss this contest, barring any last-minutes injuries. As for who should partner him – I think Liam Boyce is the best candidate. Just like it was against Motherwell, space in behind the Saints defence will be at a premium on Saturday and I’m not sure if Hearts will be afforded many opportunities here. Boyce’s ability to drop deep, drag defenders out of position and link up with the midfield makes him well-suited to this game, and so I expect the Northern Ireland internationalist to start ahead of the likes of Kenneth Vargas or Kyosuke Tagawa.

Predicted line-up: Clark; Kingsley, Kent, Rowles; Forrest, Cochrane; Grant, Baningime, Lowry; Boyce, Shankland.

READ MORE: The Lawrence Shankland story: From Queen's Park to Hearts and Scotland star

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