Last season’s Scottish Premiership runners-up, Hearts, put in an improved performance to draw at home with Portuguese giants Benfica, but that was not enough to overcome a devastating 6-1 first-leg defeat.
It did, however, build on their 4-0 win over Dundee United last weekend and will have instilled some confidence in a squad that lost their opening four matches of the season.
Inverness CT have yet to lose this term, but Hearts represent their biggest challenge to date and they may find the going tough at Tynecastle Park.
Hearts v Inverness CT Tips Summary
Best Bet - Hearts to win to nil @ 10/11
Alternative Bet - Claudio Braga to score anytime @ 5/6
Bet Builder - Under 4 goals, Most goals in 2nd half & Joshua McPake to score anytime @ 7/1
Hearts v Inverness CT Prediction
Best Bet: Hearts to win to nil @ 10/11
A summer of change, which saw key figures Derek McInnes, Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin leave for Rangers, gave way to a miserable start to the season for Hearts.
A 6–0 aggregate loss to Sturm Graz sent them out of the UEFA Champions League before Aberdeen beat them in their Scottish Premiership opener, which was swiftly followed by a 6-1 thrashing against Benfica in the UEFA Europa League.
The Jambos will now drop down to the UEFA Conference League, but they can take heart from their 4-0 demolition of Dundee United last weekend, and put in a vastly improved showing in the second leg against Benfica.
Inverness CT may be unbeaten, but they have played out goalless draws in their opening two Scottish Championship games and have scored only five goals in six matches this season.
Hearts will be a big step up in quality, and that lack of attacking edge may result in a routine win for the hosts.
Alternative Bet: Claudio Braga to score anytime @ 5/6
Claudio Braga enjoyed a fantastic season for Hearts last term as he notched 17 goals across all competitions following his transfer from Aalesunds, and the 26-year-old will be looking to take on an even more prominent role after the departure of Shankland.
Braga won the PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year award last term and, while he had a slow start to the season as Hearts struggled to get up to speed, he fired into life last weekend.
He had five shots and eight touches in the opposition box against Dundee United, scoring his first goal of the season and assisting two more, and he looks set to strike again on Sunday.
Hearts v Inverness CT Bet Builder Tip
- Under 4 goals
- Most goals in 2nd half
- Joshua McPake to score anytime
Pays 7/1
Hearts may have played out a couple of thrillers this season, but they have been far from the prolific best we saw them at last season and only two of their five games have produced more than three goals.
Faced with an Inverness CT side that are likely to try to shut up shop, this could be a low-scoring affair against a visiting side that has seen just six goals scored in their six games this season.
This could also translate into another slow-starting fixture. Fifteen of the 22 goals scored in Hearts’ six games this season have been netted after the break, and four of these ties have featured more goals in the second half than the first.
Joshua McPake looks a good choice to score one of these goals, too. The 24-year-old scored on his full debut for Hearts against Dundee United last weekend and joins the club after notching 16 goals in the Scottish Championship last term.
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Key Match Stats
- Inverness CT have scored just five goals in six games this season
- The Caley Jags have failed to score in their last two games
- Claudio Braga scored one and assisted two against Dundee United last weekend
- Joshua McPake scored on his full debut last weekend
- 15 of the 22 goals scored in Hearts’ games this season have come in the second half
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
