Hearts' Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, 42, says "everything" will shape the decision on his future, including his international involvement and his physical condition. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external
Image source, SNSHearts and Aberdeen will meet in the Scottish Cup semi-finals next month.
The tie will be played at Hampden on the weekend of 19-20 April.
Holders Celtic face St Johnstone in the other semi-final.
Image source, SNSKilmarnock teenager Bobby Wales is an "elite striker" who should be fast-tracked into the Scotland squad along with Hearts forward James Wilson.
That's the view of Scottish coach and football analyst John Walker, who would rather see Wales, 19, and 18-year-old Wilson named in Steve Clarke's squad on Tuesday for the looming Nations League play-off with Greece than Ipswich Town's George Hirst, who has been linked with a call-up.
"Anyone that's seen Wales play football up close knows he has absolutely everything, he is an elite striker and should be playing at the level that Hirst is playing at," said Walker on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.
"The more you see of Wales the more I'm impressed, he's got everything, absolutely everything.
"He's an aggressive presser, he's got pace, he's brilliant at bringing people into play, he's got a great finish, he's really composed in front of goal.
"Him and Wilson, the sooner you get them into the squad, the sooner those two progress their careers, because the reality for Scottish football needs to be that we are feeder clubs for bigger stepping stones.
"Wilson and Wales are people that will feature in the national side going forward, I think you just get them in now.
"You're just kicking the can down to get Hirst in at 26, 27, for him to potentially be around for four years.
"At some point you need to stop, but this is the problem. Steve Clarke's got the carrot in front of him of you need to get to a World Cup, so maybe he's looking at it only in this cycle alone and [thinks] Hirst gives me the best chance to do that just now."
Sander Kartum says his match-winning double for Hearts against Dundee on Friday was "to honour" his grandmother, whose funeral took place back in Norway on the same day. (Edinburgh Evening News), external
As Romanov shifts his focus to exciting opportunities back in Lithuania, what does this mean for the future of Hearts?
With mounting debt and the club on the brink of the biggest game in its history, his increasingly hands-off approach raises serious questions. While he is off participating in Lithuania's Strictly Come Dancing no less.
Will his absence lead to disaster, or can Hearts still defy the odds and thrive?
Episode eight of Romanov: Czar of Hearts is now available on BBC Sounds - listen and subscribe here
We asked for your views on Hearts' 3-1 Scottish Cup win over Dundee.
Here's what some of you said:
Chris: A must-win game so I'm glad to come away with the victory but there is a lot to be frustrated by too. Our defending can be so amateurish and is costing us at vital times. Elton Kabangu needs to be less wasteful and seems to be constantly offside. With a little more composure all around we could have less nerves and more enjoyment. On to Hampden.
Anon: A far better display from Hearts, Lewis Nielson had a man of the match display, subs made a difference also in second half when Dundee came back into the game. Another nine league games played like that should see us into a top four spot.
Jim: Impressive win. Sander Kartum looks a real find, tall, athletic, fast, skillful and scores quite good goals! With Cammy Devlin back soon alongside him we are building an exciting midfield and with options up front, could be an interesting end of the season. Back three/four stills needs work but will be interesting to see how we do against Celtic away in two weeks.
David: A fantastic cup tie, end-to-end stuff, two fantastic finishes from Kartum. Beni Baningime was magnificent, back to the player he before the injury.
Peter: Those two marvellous goals from Kartum reminded me of Rudi Skacel. If Kartum proves to be of Skacel's ilk, we could be in for a very interesting time!
Brian: A good win, but for me it's [about] regular, steady playing and results against teams we really should be winning against. lets hope this is the turn around. Been a diehard Jambo for 64 years, I've followed through thick and thin.
Image source, SNSHearts' Sander Kartum celebrates after scoring to make it 3-1 against Dundee
Hearts' Scottish Cup quarter-final hero Sander Kartum says he is getting "better and better" everyday, having bagged his first goals for the club since joining in January.
Kartum scored a goal either side of half-time in the 3-1 win over Dundee as he helped Hearts navigate their way to Hampden for the semi-finals, both of them long-range strikes of real quality.
"Yeah, I agree," the January signing from Brann said on comments form head coach Neil Critchley that it had been taking him some time to get up to speed.
"It was tough to come here and start training again, but now I have trained for two weeks, no, two months. And I'm getting better and better each day."
The 29-year-old midfielder was full of praise for the Tynecastle atmosphere and is now looking forward to his first Hampden outing.
He added: " Yeah, it was huge to get the first goal. And the atmosphere was fantastic. So, yeah, special moment.
"We got the first goal, 1-0, and came back in the second half. Poor start for us in the second half, and we bounced back. So it's a huge win."
HIs team-mate James Penrice, who has been a standout for the side this season, was also feeding off the atmosphere and reckons it's one of the country's best.
Penrice told BBC Scotland he was: "Buzzing. The boys were brilliant tonight, it was fully deserved.
"We stood up to Dundee. Sander Kartum's two goals were brilliant tonight.
"It's so evident that this ground's one the best grounds in Scotland when the noise is for us."
Image source, SNSThe draw for the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup will take place on Monday after the Livingston v St Johnstone game (19:45 GMT kick-off) on BBC Scotland.
Hearts have already booked their place thanks to a 3-1 win over Dundee.
Aberdeen host Queen's Park on Saturday - live on BBC One Scotland - and Hibs visit holders Celtic on Sunday.
Stunning Kartum double sends Hearts into semis
Norwegian midfielder Sander Kartum scores his first Hearts goals in style as Neil Critchley's men dispatch Dundee 3-1 to become the first team through to the Scottish Cup semi-finals. (Available to UK users only)
Did you take in Hearts' 3-1 Scottish Cup win over Dundee, or were you following from home?
Image source, SNSHearts head coach Neil Critchley: "The players showed a lot of character, a lot belief in what we were doing and on balance of chances, we deserved to win the game.
"We've seen the quality Sander Kartum has got. He's been getting better and better in training. On his left foot around the edge of the box, that's what he can do. They were two fantastic goals, match-winning goals.
"The players have been improving and taking big steps forward and we keep doing that tonight. When we get to Hampden, hopefully we can go and enjoy that game. I can't wait because I've never been. Really looking forward to it."
Brian McLauchlin
BBC Scotland at Tynecastle
Hearts head to Hampden as worthy winners in the end against Dundee, thanks to two wonderful strikes from Sander Kartum.
The 29-year-old Norwegian has taken time to settle in at Tynecastle after his January move from Brann but if his two strikes from distance are anything to go by then the home fans may have another favourite to cheer on.
The victory sets up things nicely for the season run-in but attention now has to turn towards securing a Scottish Premiership top-six spot.
Ross County are next up in the league before a trip to champions Celtic. The Scottish Cup can wait for now.
Image source, SNSSander Kartum celebrates his second goal
January signing Sander Kartum announced himself to the Hearts faithful with two excellent goals in their Scottish Cup quarter-final win.
Image source, SNSSander Kartum joined from Brann during the winter transfer window
Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSHearts owner Vladimir Romanov was prevented from playing against Barcelona by Anatoliy Korobochka
28 July 2007. Hearts have decamped to Murrayfield for a very special game.
They're playing the mighty Barcelona. A match everyone wanted to play a part in - including the owner.
Vladimir Romanov turned up at the ground with a Hearts jersey in hand, his surname emblazoned on the back.
Mark Donaldson, former head of sport for Radio Forth, recalls: "Vladimir Romanov wanted to be on the bench for that game.
"He wanted to name himself as a sub and he wanted to come on, he wanted to play in that game. It's against Barcelona, it's massive.
"Thankfully that didn't come to pass."
The reason that didn't come to pass was down to Anatoliy Korobochka, who was co-manager at the time with Stephen Frail.
"There was an incident when, 10 or 20 minutes before the match, a representative of the football club came up to me and asked me what if Vladimir is picked up and plays," Korobochka tells BBC Scotland's Romanov: Czar of Hearts podcast.
"I refused point blank. I said not under my watch."
With Romanov confined to a watching brief in the stands, Korobochka couldn't stop Ronaldinho and his fellow Barca superstars beating Hearts 3-1.
Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSRobert Tomaschek headed Hearts' winner against Dundee in 2001
Hearts will still be smarting from the Edinburgh derby that leaves Neil Critchley's side four places behind city rivals Hibernian in seventh spot in the Premiership when they host top-flight rivals Dundee in Friday's first Scottish Cup quarter-final.
However, the Englishman will be reminding his players that Sunday was only their second defeat in 12 outings during a generally upward curve of results and performances.
Included in that run was a 6-0 hammering of Friday's visitors at Dens Park at the start of February and they have also beaten Dundee in their latest three visits to Tynecastle since a 2-1 loss in February 2022.
On this occasion, Tony Docherty's side also arrive having suffered three straight away defeats and therefore as underdogs.
However, while their 1-1 draw at home to St Johnstone on Saturday meant they failed to increase the three-point gap between themselves and the bottom side, it at least ended a run of three consecutive losses overall.
This is the first Scottish Cup meeting between the sides since Hearts won 1-0 at Dens Park in a March 2001 fourth-round replay.
Slovakia midfielder Robert Tomaschek was the match winner that day after Argentine striker Juan Sara's opener for Dundee at Tynecastle had been cancelled out by winger Juanjo's late reply.
Hearts lost to Rangers in the semi-finals last season.
Dundee, who lost to Rangers the last time they reached the quarters in 2022, are looking to reach the last four for the first time since they lost to Gretna in 2006.
Dundee have not lifted the cup since 1910, while Hearts won it for the eighth time in 2012.
We asked you to tell us the one thing nobody is talking about at Hearts.
Here's what some of you said:
Andy: The current league table reflects how far the rest of the teams are from Celtic! Rangers are having their worst run for decades and the gap from them to the rest is still massive. That in itself highlights just how far Hearts and other hopefuls find ourselves. European qualifications are now limited.
Steve: How on earth does Andrew McKinlay still get involved in appointing managers? His track record is abysmal. This time he'll blame analytics. Time to go as he has no understanding of the game and what it takes. Nice to get a manager with a proven track record, not an ex-player or a failed coach.
Alexander: Despite signing Yan Danda, Blair Spittal and Sander Kartum we still lack a player like Stevie Fulton who can cut an opposition defence to pieces with a single pass. This lack of quality is hampering us. Jorge Grant is not the answer and needs to go. We need quality in midfield or we will not progress next season.
Anon: Elton Kabangu had seven goals in seven games from centre forward, but is being put out wide to accommodate Lawrence Shankland. Why is no one asking why Shankland hasn't been benched and the armband passed back to Craig Gordon? We were much better without him, and this change seems based off one assist v Dundee which we've not repeated.
Kevo: The transition period from possession-based football to a more cutting approach is not easy this time of year. A third game in a week has caught us out while players acclimate to the helter-skelter nature of Scottish football. A good summer will see us return to Natural Order, no worries.
Chris: Most overlooked thing for me is our pitch. We paid a lot of money for it but when you look around other playing surfaces in Scotland I would say we have one of the best in the country. It's a pity 80% of teams who visit refuse to play football on it and are happy with a point.
Steve: The lack of pace in our midfield has been evident for years. Shankland should have been stripped of the captaincy ages ago, he's frustrated and petulant and too slow to play so deep. Bring back Calum Patterson as club captain to marshall the defence!
Image source, SNSHearts midfielder Cammy Devlin remains sidelined because of concussion, while Aidan Denholm, Craig Halkett, Stephen Kingsley (all hamstring) and Frankie Kent (quad) are still out.
Dundee midfielder Scott Fraser is back in training after a groin injury but is unlikely to feature. They remain without Antonio Portales (calf), Seb Palmer-Houlden (knee), Clark Robertson (hamstring) and Billy Koumetio (ankle).
Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSManager Neil Critchley has dismissed the suggestion his Hearts side have failed in the big games this season.
Sunday's derby defeat to Hibernian extended the Jambos' winless run against their capital rivals to four matches, three of which Critchley presided over.
Since taking charge in October the Englishman has steered Hearts from bottom spot to seventh, but has failed to record a win against Rangers, Celtic and Aberdeen as well as Hibs.
Critchley, though, insists his team have delivered big results.
As Hearts prepare to host Dundee in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals on Friday night, Critchley said: "They're all big games when you play for Hearts.
"Every game is a big game and if you look at the situation when I came in, I think we had two points after 11 games. Every game from that moment was a big game and we've won some games, regardless of the opposition.
"We're under pressure to perform at this football club and there's an expectation going into every game. Some games are more important than others and if you look at some of those games, we've performed well.
"But sometimes the result goes against you. You don't get everything that you always deserve.
"We didn't deserve, with our second-half performance last week, to win the game. It still took a brilliant strike to separate the two sides and there was nothing in the game when you analyse it.
"We were better first half, they were better second half, but we lost. That's the reality of the game and the reality of football. But that won't derail my focus and my belief in this group of players."
Critchley is seeking a strong response from his players after the derby defeat as they look to secure a semi-final spot.
"When you're trying to build something that's long-term and sustainable, you're going to have bumps on the road on the way. Progress is never linear," he said.
"I think we've definitely shown progress and until the second half of last week, we've been playing quite well, in good form, winning games and we have to make sure that we now show the right response tomorrow night."
Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSNeil Critchley has been speaking to the media before Friday night's Scottish Cup quarter-final against Dundee at Tynecastle.
Here are the key lines from the Hearts manager:
Yan Dhanda is fit and available to play. Cammy Devlin has resumed light training but the match comes too soon for him. Frankie Kent, Craig Halkett, Stephen Kingsley and Aidan Denholm remain unavailable.
"Emotions were raw" after the derby defeat to Hibs but Critchley has urged his side to move on quickly for an important game against Dundee.
On criticism that Hearts have underperformed in big games under Critchley, he says: "Every game is a big game and if you look at the situation when I came in, I think we had two points after 11 games. Every game from that moment was a big game and we've won some games, regardless of the opposition."
Critchley says there is still plenty for Hearts to play for this season: "We want to get to Hampden and go as far as we can in this competition. So, our first aim is, can we win on Friday night? Can we get to the semi-final? And then after that, we've got a few games where we want to keep winning games and make sure we're in the top six come the split."
He expects Dundee will enjoy "a release from the league" given their recent Premiership struggles and expects a tough game.
