Aberdeen will find it difficult to bounce back from the disappointment of their League Cup defeat to Rangers on Sunday, and against a Hearts team that is strong at Tynecastle, the odds on a home win look simply too good to ignore.

Hearts’ last match came on Friday against St Mirren at home. Although they were not at their best, they still managed to grind out a 1-0 victory. It was their seventh home win in 10 Premiership matches in front of their home support this season, meaning they have comfortably the best record in this regard outside either Rangers or Celtic. Indeed, only the Glasgow clubs have won at the venue this season.

Aberdeen, meanwhile, have travelled dreadfully this season. Their record on the road is the mirror image of Hearts’ at home, with seven defeats in 10. Their overall form is not good. They have won only one of their last seven overall, losing five of these, including an extra-time loss to Rangers on Sunday.

Jim Goodwin’s side turned in an improved display at Hampden, but it was one that would have drained their energy levels. The pitch at the national stadium was extremely heavy and by the end of the match the Aberdeen players looked to be out on their feet. It would be understandable if they were still feeling somewhat leaden ahead of what promises to be a difficult trip.

Furthermore, the Dons don’t travel well to Tynecastle in any case, with just three wins in their last 18. The odds of the Jambos getting the job done again are just too attractive.

Livingston are an excellent price on the draw no bet market given their form in recent weeks as well as a reliable home record. Meanwhile, they will come up against a Dundee United team that posts just a single away win this season.

Livvy have looked strong since Christmas. Home draws against St Mirren and Motherwell have been followed up with victories against Ross County and St Johnstone, both of which have been achieved thanks to some innovative coaching from David Martindale. He continues to get the maximum from his team, which has only lost one of its last eight Premiership fixtures.

On top of that, Livingston’s strength this season has been their home form. They have lost only three times in 10 matches, with two of those defeats coming against Rangers and Celtic.

By contrast, Dundee United’s only road victory this season came away to St Johnstone. They did earn a commendable 2-2 tie against Hibs away from home at the weekend, with their record of four away draws this season giving a sense of jeopardy to backing Livingston at 2.4 on the nose.

The home team, though, post a relatively clean bill of health before this encounter and won the previous league meeting between these clubs. Indeed, they have won five and drawn one of the previous seven league fixtures in this head-to-head. It, therefore, seems unlikely that United will repeat their shock 2-1 League Cup success from August, making Livingston on the draw-no-
bet market a relatively risk-free option.