What channel is Hearts v Aberdeen on? Premiership match info, PPV details, kick-off time, team news, referee

Hearts host Aberdeen on Saturday at Tynecastle Park in what is set to be a crucial encounter in the battle for third place.

The Dons go into it with a five point lead over their rivals and looking to avenge the 5-0 loss on their last trip to Gorgie. A result which contributed to Jim Goodwin’s dismissal with Barry Robson taking interim charge before having his deal extended to the end of the season as head coach then by a further two years.

Hearts also have a new man in the dugout from the last meeting between these side’s in Edinburgh. Steven Naismith has replaced Robbie Neilson at least until the end of the season. The team missed out on an opportunity to reduce the points gap to three when they could only draw with St Mirren last weekend while Aberdeen drew with Hibs at Pittodrie.

Match Details

Who: Hearts v Aberdeen

What: cinch Premiership, match day 36

Where: Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh

When: Saturday, May 20. Kick-off 12.30pm

Hearts host Aberdeen in a crucial fixture for the race for third. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Referee: Kevin Clancy

How to watch

The match has not been selected for live television coverage. However, fans can still watch the fixture live with Hearts providing a PPV option at a cost of £12.99. Build-up begins with Bobby Borthwick and former Jam Tarts striker Gary Wales at 12pm.

Last meeting

The Dons recorded a huge 3-0 win over Hearts at Pittodrie in March in what was one of Neilson’s final matches in charge. The home side netted three times in the first 28 minutes, with Duk grabbing a brace. The last time at Tynecastle Park was the aforementioned 5-0. In that game, the home side led 4-0 at half-time with Josh Ginnelly scoring twice. Cammy Devlin added a fifth on the hour mark.

Team news

Hearts are set to welcome back Michael Smith, Stephen Kingsley and Alex Cochrane. The defensive trio all missed the clash with St Mirren on Saturday. It has been confirmed Stephen Humprhys won't feature again. Peter Haring is available after having his red card downgraded to a yellow.

Aberdeen could be without three key players. Graeme Shinnie will definitely be missing as he serves the final match of a four-game ban. Duk has a “slight hamstring” injury while Ross McCorrie stepped up his training but the game could come too soon for him. Dons boss Robson said: “It is about trying to get all your best players out on the pitch, that is what we are looking for. We are still without Shinnie and this will be his fourth game. It has been a bit frustrating with that one but we are pretty close to getting everybody back.”

Anything else?

When Robson took charge of Aberdeen they trailed Hearts by ten points. A run of seven straight wins helped them overturn that deficit and more, taking a five-point lead for what could be a lucrative third spot. “I never thought about that at that time,” Robson said of the points difference. “I was just trying to win games of football and luckily we have managed to do that over the past wee while.”