Hearts and Ross County will play at Tynecastle Park in the Scottish Premiership. Hearts sit third in the league table, and Ross County are in the tenth position. The previous five meetings between the two teams have ended in a draw.
Both teams played each other in round six of the competition. The match was dominated by Hearts but ended in a 2-2 draw. The away team had 65% of the ball possession and dominated every phase of the match. Hearts attempted 16 shots and managed to hit the target four times. Ross County, on the other hand, attempted six shots with a 50% shot accuracy rate.
Hearts have the third-best attacking stats in the Scottish Premiership this season. They have scored 27 goals with an xG rate of 27.28. Only Rangers and Celtic have a better defensive record than them. The home team has conceded 17 goals with an xGA of 25.39.
The above viz shows that Hearts are one of the best counter-attacking sides in the Scottish Premiership. They average more than two counterattacks per match and are only behind Celtic. They have also attempted 518 positional attacks, with an average of 27 attacks per match. Hearts players have taken 334 touches inside the opposition’s penalty box, and 140 shots of the 226 attempts have been made from inside the opposition’s penalty area.
Liam Boyce is still the highest goal-scorer for the team with seven goals in 15 appearances. He missed the last game due to injury. Hearts defender, Stephen Kingsley, will once again miss this match due to an ankle injury. Liam Boyce and Michael Smith have returned from injury and could return to the squad. Josh Ginnelly is also available after suspension.
Ross County are ranked tenth in the league table with 18 points in 19 games. They have scored 26 goals and are only behind Celtic, Rangers, and Hearts for the most goals scored. The xG of the team is 22.31, but the main problem is their defense. Ross County have conceded 33 goals with the second-worst defensive record. The above viz shows that the team has struggled to attempt passes into the opposition’s penalty area. Of the 283 attempted passes, 126 have been successfully delivered.
Regan Charles-Cook has scored two goals in December and has taken his goal-scoring tally to six goals in 18 appearances. The Englishman also has three assists to his name. Ross County will be without the services of Harry Paton and Alex Lacovitti.
Hearts have the fourth-best home record in the league with 18 points in nine games. They have scored 16 goals and conceded seven. Ross County have collected nine points in ten away games. They will look to improve their record. The fans can expect a lot of goals from this match due to the attacking stats of the team.
