Craig Gordon is set to start for Heart of Midlothian in their Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers next Sunday.

Hearts head coach Steven Naismith confirmed before and after his side's 4-2 win over Livingston on Saturday that the 41-year-old's first appearance in the league in nearly 500 days was with a view to the Hampden Park encounter.

Gordon last featured for Hearts in the Premiership on Christmas Eve 2022, the day he suffered a double leg break in a draw with Dundee United at Tannadice.

Prior to his appearance against Livingston, he had played just three competitive games, all coming in the Scottish Cup.

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"Zander [Clark] has trained all week," Naismith told the BBC prior to the match. "But we've got the semi-final coming up next week and Craig [Gordon] will play. So we feel it's beneficial for Craig to get a couple of games in."

When asked about Gordon after the match, he said: "He’s been playing in the cup and I thought it was a good opportunity to get him a game before the semi-final. That was the decision."

Hearts secured European football with their win over Livingston. It means the team can't finish below fourth. The aim for the team now is to wrap up third spot with an 11-point advantage over Kilmarnock.