Does Naismith's Hearts XI pick itself for Livingston clash?

Steven Nasimith's men come into the match having lost just two of their last 10 league outings. The most recent was a somewhat disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Ross County.

For the match against the Premiership's 12th-place side, Hearts are set to be without six first-team stars with four out injured and two on international duty. With that in mind, what is the likely starting XI?

READ MORE: A game of three thirds: What Hearts got right and wrong in Ross County draw

Joel Sked

The team, in my opinion, largely picks itself. With Nathaniel Atkinson joining up with the Australian national team for the Asian Cup - alongside Kye Rowles - it makes it very unlikely Steven Naismith will change to a back four. Stephen Kingsley slotting into the back three in place of Rowles and Alan Forrest starting at wing-back. The former Livingston star came off the bench against Ross County and gave Hearts a bit more energy and directness.

Of course, there are options available to Naismith. For example, Kingsley or Toby Sibbick at right-back. The former would be awkward, while the latter has been on the periphery of late.

The only other decisions that will need to be taken are which three of four start in the centre of the pitch and who joins Lawrence Shankland in attack. Kenneth Vargas' goal-scoring contribution should give him the nod ahead of Kyosuke Tagawa, who I thought struggled against County, and Yutaro Oda.

As for the midfield, it may be one of those days where you just win the midfield battle first, stand up to what could be a scrap and then when the game becomes more open use Alex Lowry off the bench. That's taking into account Beni Baningime coming back into the side with Naismith having said he was rested. He'll likely be joined by Aidan Denholm and Calem Nieuwenhof. 

Now, let's face it. It's not the most exciting or attacking of line-ups but with the players missing it should just be a case of going to West Lothian, getting the job done and trying to go into the break with three points.

Predicted line-up: Clark; Kent, Halkett, Kingsley; Baningime; Forrest, Denholm, Nieuwenhof, Cochrane; Shankland, Vargas. 

READ MORE: What Hearts fans can expect in the January transfer window: Priority and Shankland

James Cairney

With six first-team players missing for Hearts’ final league outing before the international break, the Premiership’s hiatus comes at a good time for Naismith and his players. And with certain areas of the squad looking particularly light at the moment, the team all but picks itself at this stage. 

Livingston will provide a very different test to the one posed by Ross County at the weekend, but I expect Naismith to stick with the 3-5-2 formation. It was the wrong shape for the Staggies, but this encounter is likely to have a lot more in common with the 1-0 win over Livi at Tynecastle earlier in the campaign, and so I think we’ll see Naismith opt for a similar blueprint in West Lothian. 

I’d expect Zander Clark to start, and Frankie Kent, Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley to comprise the back three, with the latter lining up on the left. A combination of Halkett’s return from injury and Livi’s plastic pitch could see Toby Sibbick preferred to the former Lions defender, but it feels unlikely.  

Alex Cochrane will surely get the nod at left wing-back, and Alan Forrest seems to be a shoo-in on the other flank. Sibbick, again, is an option here but Forrest’s forward-thinking qualities are surely a better fit for what’s likely to be a possession-heavy display for Hearts. 

I expect we’ll see Beni Baningime slot back into his usual position as the No.6 at the base of midfield, with Calem Nieuwenhof and Aidan Denholm ahead of him. That would mean there is no natural playmaker in the side, but Alex Lowry’s below-par performance against Ross County did little to suggest he is the man to fill the creative void. Nieuwenhof and Denholm provide a bit more dynamism and physicality – qualities that will be required against Davie Martindale’s hard-working team – but if Hearts are struggling to fashion opportunities, it would be little surprise to see Lowry introduced from the bench. 

Lawrence Shankland will lead the line up front, and I would expect to see Kenneth Vargas joining him on Tuesday afternoon. The Costa Rican played well after coming off the bench against County, linking well with the midfield when dropping deep and getting his second goal of the season in fine fashion. A similar display at the Tony Macaroni would go a long way to helping Hearts’ chances of a win – but consistency has always been hard for Vargas to come by. 

Predicted line-up: Clark; Kent, Halkett, Kingsley; Baningime; Forrest, Denholm, Nieuwenhof, Cochrane; Shankland, Vargas.