Falkirk confront a stern examination of their top-flight status this weekend when they welcome a Heart of Midlothian team enjoying excellent form. The home side are positioned 11th in the standings, having secured only two points from their opening five matches, a run that features four straight losses on their own ground. In stark opposition, Hearts travel to Falkirk Stadium placed third and riding a four-game victory sequence, their second-best spell of consecutive wins since the previous campaign began.
The past record offers little comfort for local fans. Falkirk have been defeated in their most recent six Premiership encounters with Hearts and did not find the net in any of the four league fixtures between the sides last season. Hearts have prevented Falkirk from scoring in seven of the last eight top-division meetings, with the only time they conceded being in a 3-2 away win for Falkirk in February 2010.
Recent form a major concern
Falkirk's performances at their own stadium are a serious cause for alarm. They have suffered defeat in each of their last four league outings at Falkirk Stadium. Their most recent comparable poor run of home losses in the Premiership occurred in January 2006. Their general recent pattern of results is DLLDL, following a 1-1 draw at Dundee United where Josh Murrell scored an early goal. The complete set of recent matches is available on our fixtures page.
Hearts' strong defence poses a specific issue for a Falkirk forward line that has scored just three times in the league this term. Only one other club has registered fewer shots than Falkirk. Conversely, Hearts have allowed the lowest number of attempts on their goal of any team in the league so far.
Squad challenges for the Bairns
The difficulty is increased by several absent players due to injury. Aidan Nesbitt, Connor McLeod, Craig Sibbald, Ethan Laidlaw, Keelan Adams and Finn Yeats are all unavailable, reducing the choices for the head coach. The available players are listed on our squad page.
Hearts' present sequence of wins demonstrates their reliability, although it does not yet equal a six-game run they achieved from August to October in the prior season. For Falkirk, the priority is to stop their decline and overcome a tough rival. Following this match, they will travel to play Kilmarnock, who occupy 12th place, on 30 December.
