Heart of Midlothian travel to Tayside on Saturday with a good idea of what to expect from their hosts. The previous meeting between the two sides was only last week, after all, but both clubs have been active in the window since and there could be one or two new faces at Dens Park.

Steven Naismith's side will be hoping for a repeat of their second-half performance against Dundee from last week, when the men in maroon overturned a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 and claim three valuable points in the race for third. However, Hearts' last trip to Dundee, that ended in a 1-0 win for the home side, will surely linger in the back of Naismith's mind.

Will Naismith go for three men at the back or four? Could we see Alex Cochrane deployed in midfield? And could January signing Scott Fraser be pitched into the starting XI? Joel Sked and James Cairney talk us through their predicted line-ups below. 

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Joel Sked

The most stressful moment of the week. Trying to decide what XI and what shape Steven Naismith will go with. In this case, the trip to face Dundee at Dens Park. Hearts performed poorly in the back three against the Dark Blues last month. A switch to a back four saw the Tynecastle side turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory. Then against Aberdeen, Hearts stuck with the back four but were not at their best.

Watching Dundee during the week in their draw with Aberdeen they caused problems with their front two of Amadou Bakayoko and Zach Robinson. The former in particular is a useful focal point, while there are high hopes around Michael Mellon who they brought in during the January transfer window. That's why the back three is useful, you have a spare man and it allows for more physicality. 

Then there is the Owen Beck factor. Having returned from Liverpool on loan he is a big player for Tony Docherty. Having two men on that side in a 4-3-3 could prove useful.

The above demonstrates that they are a good side. But Hearts are better and in each formation will have better all-round quality. 

I reckon Naismith will stick with the 4-3-3, perhaps go more direct and try to target Dundee down the flanks. The Hearts boss has been impressed with Scott Fraser in training but I think we will see him off the bench. I also think we will see Alex Cochrane move into the middle of the park. That way Stephen Kingsley plays on the left and Craig Halkett joins Frankie Kent in the centre of defence. Why? His presence. Dundee are excellent at attacking set-pieces so having Kingsley, Cochrane, Kent and Halkett will be a boost.

The front three picks itself.

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

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James Cairney

I imagine we’ll see Naismith go for a 4-2-3-1 shape for Saturday’s trip to Dens Park. Hearts got off to a slow start in last week’s 3-2 win over Dundee in Gorgie but after switching to a 4-2-3-1 at the break, the team’s second-half showing proved that the system can cause problems for Tony Docherty’s side. Learning the lessons from the below-par first half, however, is crucial if Hearts are to return to Edinburgh with three points in tow.

I think we’ll see Zander Clark start in between the sticks with a back four of Dexter Lembikisa, Frankie Kent, Stephen Kingsley and Alex Cochrane in front of him. Craig Halkett is unfortunate to miss out, but I suspect the handful of errors he committed in the reverse fixture at Tynecastle Park last week could cost him his place in the starting XI. I feel Cochrane tends to offer more in an attacking sense than Kingsley at left-back too, and this will be vital to Hearts’ efforts to build out from the back.

The midfield is a little trickier to predict. Beni Baningime didn’t especially catch the eye in the win at Tynecastle before being brought off early on in the second half and his replacement, Macaulay Tait, was the catalyst behind Hearts’ comeback. The teenage midfielder was fantastic that night, but it’s important to remember the context: Dundee sat deep in an attempt to defend their two-goal lead, and gave the likes of Tait lots of time on the ball. Sitting deep to protect a 2-0 lead away to Hearts is one thng, but will they be quite so accommodating as the home side, when the crowd will expect them to seize the initiative? Probably not.

For this reason, I think we’ll see Baningime start but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tait introduced from the bench at some point – especially if Hearts find themselves trailing and chasing the game. Calem Nieuwenhof, meanwhile, is surely nailed on to start again as Naismith is clearly a big fan of the Aussie. Ahead of them, I think we’ll see Jorge Grant in the No.10 role. The Englishman was excellent in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Aberdeen and although he faces stiff competition from January addition Scott Fraser, I suspect this game comes a little too soon for the on-loan Charlton man.

Lawrence Shankland will, of course, lead the line in attack and I expect he will be supported by Kenneth Vargas and Alan Forrest. The former is in fine form, with three goals in his last four games, and is starting to deliver on the potential he undoubtedly has; the latter, meanwhile, has arguably been Hearts’ most consistent performer over the past month or so.

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