THEY say that familiarity breeds contempt and that theory will be tested when Kilmarnock and Hearts meet in a Scottish FA Cup fourth-round replay at Rugby Park on Wednesday night - a match being shown live on Sky.
The pair fought out a 2-2 draw in the original fixture 11 days ago and then met again in the league at the weekend, when Hearts breezed home 3-0. That was the fifth time they have crossed swords this season, as they also clashed in the League Cup back in September.
A feature of the past eight matches between the clubs is that Kilmarnock have failed to record a win, although they may feel the tide is turning because their equaliser in the first Cup tie arrived in the final minute via a first career goal for Steve Naismith.
Sporting Index do not see it that way, making Hearts favourites. That seems fair given that the Jambos lead Kilmarnock by 12 points in the league after Saturday’s drubbing.
Hearts look a solid buy at 13.5 in the win index (25 points for a win with the safety net of ten points for a draw), although a buy of the bookings at 42 could prove an even better bet in a market that awards ten for a booking and 25 for a sending off.
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There were six yellow cards in the first cup match (three for each team) and there was some ill feeling afterwards, too, when John Robertson, the Hearts manager, was critical of the referee. With a fifth-round tie at home to Livingston up for grabs, there is unlikely to be any quarter given.