Falkirk face Heart of Midlothian in a Premiership match on Tuesday after five games without a win, sitting 11th with two points and a goal difference of minus four. The side lost to Rangers and Celtic in their last two home games and drew 1-1 with Dundee Utd away on September 5.
Heart of Midlothian arrive in strong form, having won three of their last four matches, including a 3-0 victory at Stenhousemuir and a 2-1 home win over Dundee. Their only blemish in recent weeks was a 1-1 draw with Rapid Vienna in Europa League qualifying.
Falkirk will be without six players due to injury: Aidan Nesbitt, Connor McLeod, Craig Sibbald, Ethan Laidlaw, Keelan Adams and Finn Yeats are all sidelined with ankle or knee problems, with expected returns ranging from September 30 to October 10. The absence of Sibbald and Nesbitt particularly weakens the midfield options available to the head coach.
The last starting XI for Falkirk against Dundee Utd featured S. Bain in goal, a back four of R. Strain, L. Neilson, L. Henderson and L. McCann, with B. Spencer and F. Barbrook in midfield and E. Ross, B. Krauhaus, O. Eames and J. Murrell supporting the lone striker. Hearts are expected to line up with B. Reus at right back and J. Wilson leading the attack, based on their recent 4-2-3-1 formation.
Falkirk have scored just three goals this season while conceding seven, leaving them 16 points behind league leaders Celtic. The next fixture after Tuesday’s match is an away trip to Kilmarnock on December 30, who currently sit 12th in the table.
The match kicks off at 18:45 UTC at Falkirk Stadium, with both teams looking to gain momentum in the early stages of the Premiership campaign.
