Could Aidan Denholm be set for Hearts chance against Celtic?

It is a sizeable task facing the men in maroon. Hearts haven't won a league match in Glasgow's east end since 2007, Naismith is short of options in midfield, and the team have suffered back-to-back losses. 

So, what shape are we likely to see Hearts set up in? Could Nathaniel Atkinson be parachuted back into the starting line-up? And with Cammy Devlin and Alex Lowry unavailable, and Calem Nieuwenhof likely to miss out, who should get the nod in midfield? Our writers talk us through their predictions below.

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Joel Sked

The last place Hearts and the club's fans would want to go after the last two results is Celtic Park. Andrew Driver. Kestutis Ivaskevicius and Michael Pospisil were the scorers the last time Hearts won in the east end of Glasgow. On the day of the trophy presentation on the penultimate weekend of the season, Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley were in green and white hoops, while Saulius Mikoliunas, who started for Hearts, was on 17 of the 101 caps he would eventually win for Lithuania. 

Steven Naismith will be without a few options, including Cammy Devlin and most likely Liam Boyce. This is one fixture where more thought perhaps has to be on the defensive side of the game. It is hard to see the Hearts head coach moving away from the back three and the current set-up of Kye Rowles, Frankie Kent and Stephen Kingsley. Craig Halkett may come into his thoughts but against Celtic it is imperative the defence are at their sharpest. It may be a big ask to have him start his first game since returning from injury at the Scottish champions.

The right wing-back position will say a lot about how the team are going to play but Toby Sibbick offers more defensively. While in the midfield it wouldn't be a surprise to see Beni Baningime drop back to the No.6 role which he is more suited to rather than the No.8 one he played against Aberdeen. It will be a big afternoon for Aidan Denholm, while Jorge Grant suits the No.8 role alongside him. Calem Nieuwenhof, meanwhile, is expected to miss out.

There could be an argument for a front three with Barrie McKay joining Kenneth Vargas and Lawrence Shankland but it would mean losing an extra body in midfield. Vargas will likely be chosen over Kyosuke Tagawa who struggled to assert himself off the bench at Aberdeen.

Predicted XI: Clark; Kingsley, Kent, Rowles; Baningime; Sibbick, Grant, Denholm, Cochrane; Shankland, Vargas.

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James Cairney

Celtic Park is probably the most difficult away day the Premiership has to offer, and so it would be a huge surprise if Naismith deviated from the back three for this contest. I think we could see some changes to the structure of the midfield though. Against Aberdeen, Hearts played with two central midfielders with a No.10 ahead of them; at Parkhead, I think we will see Beni Baningime drop to the No.6 role with two midfielders ahead of him as this provides Hearts with more options when building out from the back, as well as adding an extra layer of defence in the central areas.

I would expect Zander Clark to get the nod in goals for this one but with Craig Gordon regaining his fitness, it is surely only a matter of time before the fans’ favourite gets back in the team. Despite Craig Halkett making his first appearance in almost a year last weekend, I think Naismith will stick with the back three of Stephen Kingsley, Frankie Kent and Kye Rowles. Halkett looked a little rusty when he clambered off the bench at Pittodrie, and there can be little margin for error when playing away to the league leaders.

Alex Cochrane will surely retain his place at left wing-back, and I think we will see Toby Sibbick hold onto his starting berth on the opposite flank. Nathaniel Atkinson’s return to fitness gives Naismith a welcome selection headache in this area, but the Australian looked off the pace against Rangers and is still to get fully up to speed. Chucking him back into the starting XI away to Celtic would ask a lot of him.

There is a slightly less welcome selection dilemma in midfield. With Calem Nieuwenhof and Alex Lowry joining Cammy Devlin on the treatment table, and Peter Haring and Andy Halliday seemingly out of favour, there aren’t all that many bodies to choose from in the middle. I think we will see Baningime sitting in front of the defence, with Aidan Denholm and Jorge Grant either side of him. It will be a big test for Denholm in particular, but Naismith’s hands are tied to an extent.

Up top, I expect we will see Kenneth Vargas partnering Lawrence Shankland. The Costa Rican attacker linked up well with the Hearts skipper during the first half at Pittodrie last weekend, and showed enough to hold onto his place up top. Kyosuke Tagawa is another option here, but the Japanese has struggled to make much of an impact in his recent appearances and will most likely have to settle for a place on the bench.

Predicted XI: Clark; Kingsley, Rowles, Kent; Baningime; Sibbick, Denholm, Grant Cochrane; Shankland, Vargas.