Is Alex Lowry set to start for Hearts in Ross County clash?

Ross County are next up as Hearts return to league action, and supporters will be hoping their team can replicate their first-half performance against Killie that was full of attacking gusto.

It leaves Naismith with some interesting decisions to make. Will he stick with the same side that won in midweek? Or will the head coach change things up to counteract the specific threats County have to offer? Our writers discuss it all below.

READ MORE: The evolution of Cammy Devlin: From midfield dictator to Hearts' all-action man

Joel Sked

The above line-up was picked following the news that Cammy Devlin is a doubt. The Australian came off at half-time in Hearts' League Cup win over Kilmarnock in midweek. If he is fit he would play. At that point it is a very difficult decision in terms of who starts alongside him. Calem Nieuwenhof had his best game in a Hearts shirt against Killie, while Beni Baningime could be ideal for a game where Ross County may look to press the visiting midfield aggressively. He is the team's best player at beating such a press whether it's through a drop of a shoulder or the protecting of the ball.

If Devlin does miss out, Baningime and Nieuwenhof would give Hearts plenty in possession, albeit neither can match Devlin's energy and ball-winning capabilities. Few can in Scotland. Yet, Beni would take the ball off the defenders in most situations, avoiding the passing around the back which has been an issue at times. Nieuwenhof would then look to go the other way with the ball. On paper there is a nice balance.

There would be a temptation to play Odel Offiah. Ross County may go 3-5-2 with a full-back at wing-back meaning the Staggies shouldn't pose too much of a threat out wide and Offiah could bomb up and down the flank. However, the likelihood is Sibbick will start.

Should Devlin miss out, the biggest dilemma Naismith should face is the fourth forward. Lawrence Shankland, Kenneth Vargas and Jorge Grant should all start. It is then between Alan Forrest and Alex Lowry. The former provides plenty of energy even if his end product has been there consistently. It would allow for Lowry to step off the bench where he has had joy against St Johnstone and Kilmarnock as the game opens up. But it may just be worthwhile starting the on-loan Rangers playmaker who will be full of confidence after the high of netting the winner against Kilmarnock.

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

READ MORE: Can Jorge Grant become a key player for Hearts and Naismith after starring role?

James Cairney

Naismith doesn’t find himself with too many selection headaches heading into this fixture. With Alex Cochrane and Nathaniel Atkinson out for the foreseeable – and Craig Gordon and Craig Halkett still recovering from long-term injuries – the defence and goalkeeper pretty much pick themselves at this point.

Zander Clark will surely start in goal and the back four will almost certainly be Stephen Kingsley, Kye Rowles, Frankie Kent and Toby Sibbick. Odel Offiah’s midweek cameo off the bench at Rugby Park – the on-loan full-back played a key role in Lowry’s winning goal – might just have been enough to convince Naismith to include him in the starting XI, but I feel that Sibbick is more solid defensively and so I think Hearts will stick with the same back four.

With Cammy Devlin a doubt due to illness, I reckon we’ll see Beni Baningime start alongside Calem Nieuwenhof as the two central midfielders. Baningime’s ability to evade the opposition’s press was one of the few bright sparks in last week’s 1-0 defeat at St Mirren, and Ross County similarly press the ball high up the park. Getting around this will be crucial to Hearts’ build-up play and the former Everton midfielder has already shown he can do just that. Tuesday night, meanwhile, was probably Nieuwenhof’s best display since joining in the summer. Naismith will surely be hoping for more of the same in Dingwall.

Again, I expect Naismith to stick with Tuesday night’s winning formula when choosing his front four. The first half at Rugby Park was the most fluid Hearts have looked in the final third in a while, and so I think he’ll be reluctant to change things up too much.

Lawrence Shankland will lead the line, that much is obvious, and Yutaro Oda’s continued absence makes Kenneth Vargas a shoo-in at right wing, in my opinion.  Grant was excellent in the No.10 role in the win over Kilmarnock and surely deserves to retain his place at the expense of Liam Boyce, while I think Alan Forrest is better suited to driving in behind the County defence and exploiting any space he can find – something that I expect to be important to Hearts’ chances of getting a positive result.

Lowry certainly made a compelling case for more game time with his goal-scoring heroics on Tuesday night but I feel that Forrest is better suited to this fixture. Having said that, I’d be surprised if Lowry didn’t come off the bench at some point on Saturday, particularly if the team are chasing a goal. Boyce will surely enter the fray at some point or another, and we could see Kyosuke Tagawa get some minutes after the striker resumed full training.

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

READ MORE: How Hearts rediscovered their attacking mojo in cup win and the key men involved

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