Heart of Midlothian travel to Rugby Park on Saturday aiming to quickly recover from their first defeat in five matches. The 2-1 loss at Falkirk last weekend interrupted a strong run of form that has propelled the club to third in the Premiership table with 12 points from six games.
Recent Form
Steven Naismith's side had won four consecutive matches before the Falkirk setback, including impressive away victories at Hibernian and Stenhousemuir. Striker James Wilson, who scored the consolation goal in that defeat, is the team's top scorer this season with three goals. The squad will be without several players for the trip to Ayrshire, including Ageu, Craig Halkett, Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Tom Renaud.
Kilmarnock's Struggles
The hosts have found points hard to come by this season, sitting 12th with just one win from their last five outings. Their only victory in that sequence was a 1-0 win at Hibernian last Sunday. Kilmarnock will be without defender Robbie Deas due to a foot injury. This fixture presents an opportunity for Heart of Midlothian to consolidate their position near the top of the league. The current standings show them six points behind leaders Celtic.
Naismith is expected to make changes following the Falkirk performance, with the team looking to rediscover the attacking fluency shown in their 3-1 win at Easter Road earlier this month. The match kicks off at 16:45 UTC on Saturday, 19 September.
