Do Hearts play at the back three v Rangers - who up front?

Steven Naismith's men are unbeaten in 12 matches and have a better record across the past 10 league games than their opponents Rangers who currently sit top of the Premiership table.

The Hearts head coach has a few key decisions to make. Does he stick with the back three he started with against Motherwell or does he opt for the back four he finished the game with? If it is a back three, who partners Lawrence Shankland in attack? And what will be the make-up of the midfield three?

Writers Joel Sked and James Cairney predict who they think will start...

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Joel Sked

When Steven Naismith takes his Hearts side to Ibrox there will be a feeling of confidence and belief. And rightly so. Not only are Hearts unbeaten in 12 but in their last three visits to Ibrox and Celtic Park under Naismith the team have drawn, lost in stoppage time and won. That is a mark of progress in terms of going to Glasgow to face the country's two biggest sides. For years Hearts have punched well below their weight.

The signs are that the team are more consistent and competitive when they go along the M8. On Saturday the aim to to continue that trend but also to go there and play. So this is what I've been building to. Naismith, I believe, will select a line-up that will try to control parts of the game and keep the ball.

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Therefore I expect the back three to be in operation, made up of Kye Rowles, Stephen Kingsley and Frankie Kent. Nathaniel Atkinson may not be as quick or as dynamic as Dexter Lembikisa but he has a safer pair of feet when in possession so will get the nod. I understand there will be calls for Cammy Devlin to start. He brings so much energy and ball-winning qualities in a game where the average possession share will be lower than normal. But with possession in mind, I still think Naismith will opt for Beni Baningime, Calem Nieuwenhof and Jorge Grant. Devlin as well as Aidan Denholm could be excellent options off the bench later in the game if Rangers are ramping up the pressure.

In attack, it is a tough decision as to who partners Lawrence Shankland. Kenneth Vargas or Alan Forrest? Both have been excellent of late and both provide strong attributes. I reckon Forrest will get the nod and reprise the role he played against Celtic. He is the man for the big occasions, while Vargas presents a pacey option off of the bench when the game gets stretched.

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

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James Cairney

Steven Naismith brought back the 3-5-2 for last weekend’s 2-0 win over Motherwell – for the first half, at least – and I expect him to follow suit at Ibrox on Saturday. Hearts have lined up in the back three on all three occasions they have faced the Glasgow side this season and, given how close they came to securing a famous win on their last trip to Govan, it would seem to be an approach that has some merit.

Zander Clark will start in goals and I’d expect to see a back three of Stephen Kingsley, Frankie Kent and Kye Rowles ahead of him. Truth be told, Craig Halkett’s injury means that Naismith is a little short of options here. Alex Cochrane is surely nailed on to start at left wing-back and on the other side, I think we’ll see Nathaniel Atkinson preferred to Dexter Lembikisa. The latter can be erratic in possession and at a venue like Ibrox, being wasteful on the ball is a luxury that few teams can afford.

I expect we’ll see Beni Baningime in his usual role at the base of midfield, with Calem Niuewenhof and Jorge Grant slightly ahead of him. Nieuwenhof is in excellent form of late and is quite rightly one of the first names on Naismith’s team sheet, while Grant offers more consistency than the likes of Scott Fraser, who is still getting up to speed. Grant was also excellent in December’s 2-0 win at Celtic Park, and a similar performance against Rangers would do Hearts’ chances of success the world of good.

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Lawrence Shankland will lead the line in attack, of course, and I think he’ll be joined by Kenneth Vargas. Like his fellow summer signing Nieuwenhof, the attacker has been coming on to a game recently and has looked most effective when playing through the middle.

It would mean there’s no place for Alan Forrest – a harsh call, given that the former Livingston and Ayr United attacker has also been playing excellently – but I feel he produces his best work out on the left wing. In this instance, I suspect Forrest will be a casualty of the system, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him introduced off the bench if Hearts find themselves needing a goal and chasing the game.

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