Heart of Midlothian

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• Hearts have failed to score in their past three games in the Premiership, their last longer run of games without scoring a goal in the competition was a run of four games from 31 October 2018 to 24 November 2018.

• Motherwell have failed to score in 11 of their 33 games, only Ross County (14) and St Mirren (12) have drawn a blank more often in the Premiership this season.

• Motherwell failed to attempt a shot on target in this game, it's the first time they failed to attempt a shot on target in a game in the Premiership since facing Celtic on 26 December 2024.

• Hearts have failed to win in their past three games in the Premiership, their last joint longest winless streak was from 10 November 2024 to 1 December 2024.

Hearts fans, what did you make of that goalless draw at Fir Park? How are you feeling about being in the bottom six? What are your thoughts on Neil Critchley continuing to lead the side?

Have your say here

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Hearts head coach Neil Critchley tells BBC Scotland: "It's a hugely disappointing day, we didn't do enough to win the game.

"The first half was cagey from both teams, Motherwell were much more aggressive. We were too slow with the ball and made too many mistakes.

"We changed at half-time and played more simple football, got the ball forward quicker and created some good chances but we didn't take them. That's probably the story of not just today but a few other performances where you could point to us being wasteful in front of goal.

"It was a tactical decision [the half-time changes] it wasn't a reflection of the players' performance. I thought in the second half we were in control of the territory but we didn't do enough in and around the goal. That was last week, that's today, that's why we haven't got the points we've needed to get into the top six.

"We didn't expect them to play the way they played, they've never played in that way before. Sometimes that requires a different way and a different personnel from us.

"You can point to other moments and other games where we could have maybe picked up more points and we've left some points out on the pitch in my opinion. Under normal circumstances, a point and a clean sheet away from home isn't that bad but today it's not what we came here for."

Calum MacDonald
BBC Sport Scotland at Fir Park

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The absence of Lawrence Shankland was the big talking point pre-match and Hearts struggled to create much in the first half. His introduction in the second half livened up the way side.

Hearts' striking woes were laid bare when Neil Critchley was forced to send on Craig Halkett as an emergency forward with their top-six chances slipping away.

Critchley should be commended for turning Hearts' season around after a dreadful start but as it transpired just one point from their last three matches would have secured them top-six football and they really should have managed that.

Like Motherwell, their thoughts will now be on securing top flight survival.

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Motherwell defender Liam Gordon will miss the game with concussion, while defender Steve Seddon (ankle), Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (broken wrist), Shane Blaney, Sam Nicholson (both knee), Jack Vale (Achilles), Ross Callachan (hamstring), Paul McGinn (thigh), Zach Robinson (Achilles) and Archie Mair (hand) remain sidelined for Well.

Hearts forward James Wilson is suspended, while Gerald Taylor (knee) and Aidan Denholm (hamstring) are still out.

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Neil Critchley still has his eyes on a European place despite a 1-0 home loss to Dundee United leaving the Edinburgh side eight points adrift of fifth in the table.

Heart of Midlothian will have to make sure they finish in the top half in order to pursue that ambition - and that is looking far from certain following a run of three defeats in their past four league outings.

Victory at Fir Park on Saturday wraps it up, but Motherwell have won six of their past eight home encounters against the Tynecastle side.

A draw would keep the Steelmen at bay but would open the door for St Mirren, who are at home to Ross County.

Of course, Hearts were rock bottom when Critchley replaced Steven Naismith in October, so credit is due for the team's rise.

However, there is huge pressure on the former Blackpool boss going into the weekend and there will be jitters around his big-match record.

When Hearts needed a win at home to Petrocub of Moldova in order to make Conference League progress, they failed.

In 11 games against the current top five, Critchley has found just one win.

Only maximum points will do for Motherwell, who have gathered one point from three matches after winning at Ibrox.

That could play into the visitors' hands and Critchley will be stressing the importance of the first goal since Brechin City are the only domestic opponent Hearts have beaten away from home this season after conceding the opener.

Read all the Scottish Premiership picks here

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts boss Neil Critchley said his side "understand the importance" of their split-deciding fixture with Motherwell on Saturday.

Win at Fir Park and Hearts' secure their top-six status, having come a long way from early-season relegation fears when Critchley took over.

Lose, and they're consigned to the bottom six where safety is far from guaranteed thanks to a tightly-packed league table.

"We understand the importance of the game," the head coach said. "There's plenty of points to play for. We want to be always a club that's at the top end of the table and playing the big games against the big teams at the end of the season.

"But from where we were when I took over to where we are now, we've made progress. The fact that we're fighting to the top six is credit to the players.

"But now we have that one game, it's in our hands. We know what we have to do. And if we do that, then we can look forward to some important big games at the end of the season, which is where we all want to be competing every single season."

Motherwell are also fighting for a place in the top six, having recovered from a poor run of form thanks to the appointment of Michael Wimmer.

With both sides battling for a place in the top half, Critchley thinks circumstances may lead to an open match.

"Motherwell will want to win the game but they'll also be understanding that there's consequences for losing the game as well," he said. "It's going to make for, psychologically, how the game pans out and how it's played.

"It's a different scenario. It's not like a normal, regular league game that you play every week, because of the nature of where the game is placed within the calendar.

"It's a bit different. I've never experienced it before, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts head coach Neil Critchley has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's all-important trip to Motherwell. Here's a taste of what he had to say...

• The game against Motherwell is one of psychology as well as football, and Critchley wants to play to a "similar level" to the Dundee United defeat, with a "bit extra quality and intelligence in front of goal".

• He knows the consequences that come with both winning and losing games of this nature, and acknowledges it's not a "normal scenario".

• New signing Christian Borchgrevink will enhance strong competition for right-back position and has "obvious leadership qualities" as he captains Valerenga in Norway.

• Gerald Taylor will head back to parent club Deportivo Saprissa this summer and option to buy will not be taken up, after a "really unfortunate" spell with injury in Gorgie.

• There is nothing imminent with any other new signings for the summer.

• Striker James Wilson was "quite sombre and reflective" after his red card against Dundee United last weekend.

Celtic could still win a 13th Scottish top-flight title in 14 seasons this weekend, despite their shock defeat away to St Johnstone last Sunday.

Victory at home against Kilmarnock on Saturday would be sufficient to confirm the arithmetic should Rangers lose at Aberdeen the following day.

The Ibrox side are almost certain to clinch the second Champions League place, but four points from their final six matches would confirm it.

Whoever finishes third and fourth will also be in Europe, as will the division's fifth-placed side should the Scottish Cup winners be one of the Premiership's top four.

The fight for the final top-six place will go to the final game before the split, with one of Hearts, Motherwell or St Mirren claiming it.

Hearts visit Fir Park one point in front of their hosts and the Paisley side, who take on Ross County.

The two teams missing out could yet be sucked into a relegation battle.

Bottom side St Johnstone are now five adrift of Dundee and six behind Kilmarnock and Ross County. Motherwell and St Mirren are a further three points ahead.

With the teams all playing each other again post-split, there is still plenty scope for movement between now and 18 May.

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• Motherwell have won six of their past eight home league games against Hearts (L2), including a 3-1 win in August of this season.

• None of the past 12 league meetings between Motherwell and Hearts have finished level, with Hearts winning seven and losing five since a 1-1 draw in March 2020.

• Motherwell have lost seven of their past 10 games in the Scottish Premiership (W2 D1), picking up fewer points than any side in the division since the start of this run (7) on January 11

• Hearts have lost both of their last two league games without scoring; they last lost three in a row without reply in the Scottish Premiership in December 2019, a run that included a 1-0 loss at Motherwell.

• Motherwell's Ellery Balcombe has conceded more goals than any goalkeeper in the Scottish Premiership this season (53). Indeed, of goalkeepers to play 20+ times in the competition this season, his save rate of 60.5% is the lowest.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

After a season that started with so much optimism, whether Hearts finish in the top or bottom half of the Premiership will come down to their ability to beat Motherwell at Fir Park this Saturday.

There will be many pundits and supporters alike who will have views on why the club are in the position they are. Those debates and discussions are for another day, as nothing else matters other than the outcome of this weekend's fixture.

Although there will be some who have doubts about the team's ability to come out on top in big games this season, those players who take to the pitch have the opportunity this weekend to silence some of their critics.

They should be helped by the fact that Motherwell also require a win to have any chance themselves of a top-six finish.

The Fir Park side have only picked up one point from their last three games, otherwise they may well be sitting pretty in the top half of the table.

But like Hearts they know a win is necessary for them, so hopefully the fans of both sides inside Fir Park should be able to witness a game that flows from end to end with plenty of goalmouth opportunities on show.

Meanwhile, St Mirren know a win over Ross County will knock the Steelmen out of the race. It should be another pulsating, and no doubt nervous, Saturday for Hearts fans in what has been a rollercoaster of a league campaign.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

It's amazing how it can only take 90 minutes of football to change a supporter's perspectives on their team, and when Nick Walsh blew the final whistle in Sunday's 1-0 home defeat to Dundee United, pessimism was rife on the streets of Gorgie afterwards.

Perhaps it's only fair to start with the fact that with 11 men on the park, Hearts looked the more comfortable side having fashioned most of the efforts on goal, but every effort went straight to the keeper.

I hate using the usual footballing tropes, but the phrase of 'you need to take your chances when you're on top' comes to prominence here as the whole complexion of the game changed when James Wilson was given a straight red card.

I'll admit that at the time in the stadium, I thought it was harsh. But upon seeing the replays at half time, we can have no complaints.

I expected head coach Neil Critchley to make a tactical substitution or two and I was debating with pals whether he'd go to a 3-4-2 or a 4-3-2 to keep us competitive in the match.

The fact that United boss Jim Goodwin made three changes to react to the situation before Critchley bizarrely persisted with a 4-4-1, and the first change he made was to bring on a defensive midfielder in Cammy Devlin for a more attacking midfielder in Sander Kartum, was the third alarm bell in this match that signalled things weren't going to go for us.

Cynics might argue that the lack of attacking firepower might have given United a psychological advantage, but defender Michael Steinwender makes a hash of a ball forward and both he and Adam Forrester were both as culpable in not dealing with Sam Dalby, who then headered past Craig Gordon unopposed.

It's such a terrible goal to have conceded and from there on in, we never really looked like scoring.

I've been a massive supporter of Critchley and I think he deserves credit for his time in charge on the whole, but we're now entering into territory where single games and moments can define a Hearts managers career.

There are supporters who don't trust Critchley to inspire the side to get a win in a big game, like this Saturday's top-six decider at Motherwell.

Granted, our record versus the bottom-six sides has got us into this position, but Critchley's record in games against the top five sides in the league is sobering reading.

In 11 games versus the Old Firm, Aberdeen and Hibs, we've only won one game, drawn two and suffered eight defeats, with 18 goals conceded and just seven scored.

Add in the Petrocub debacle, and you can see why there are Jambos travelling to Fir Park in fear.

If Hearts don't make top six, then it's not just Critchley that will be under pressure, it's chief executive Andrew McKinlay, who said in an address earlier to fans this season that he had full belief we'd finish in the top half of the table under Critchley.

He may have won two footballing CEO awards, but Jambos can't use that in bragging rights in the workplace with Hibs supporters, especially when we haven't won an Edinburgh derby this campaign.

They say pressure makes diamonds and it will be intriguing to see who shines in the must-win game against Motherwell. I don't even want to look past this game and think of Hampden the following weekend, as we simply cannot allow our attentions to be focused elsewhere.

There's the debate of whether you would want the team to focus on our attacking strengths and go for the jugular, hoping we are more clinical in front of goal. Or does Critchley opt for caution and look to nick the game 1-0, similar to our performance at Tannadice earlier this season?

I genuinely can't call it or predict what we'll do on Saturday. I can't go into the game with any degree of confidence. But in the same token, I cannot write this team off given our form versus bottom-six teams this season.

It's in our own hands and we need to win. We cannot approach this like a Petrocub, thinking a draw will do us as that brings complacency and something nobody at Hearts can allow to happen with everything that's at stake.

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Neil Critchley believes European football next season is still achievable for Hearts, although he admits their 1-0 defeat by Dundee United on Sunday makes it more difficult.

The Tynecastle side are eight points behind United in fifth after that loss with six matches of the season remaining.

They could reach Europe via a top-five finish in the league, or with a Scottish Cup triumph - they face Aberdeen in the semi-finals later this month.

Hearts must beat Motherwell this weekend to guarantee their spot in the top six before the league splits and Critchley says that must be the priority.

"I wouldn't say it's beyond us yet," Critchley said, when asked about Hearts' European prospects.

"It's obviously harder, but if we can get into the top six then we've got to play those teams [Dundee United, Aberdeen and Hibernian], and then we can take points off them," said Critchley.

"It's not beyond us, but we've got to get there first, so our first priority is to go to Motherwell and win next week.

"The positive thing is it's in our favour [to make top six]. We're not relying on other results. We know if we go there and win, then it's job done. It's still in our hands and we have to use that as a positive.

"If we play like we did against Dundee United, with a little bit of better quality, then that will give us a good chance."

Hearts fans, we asked for your views on the 1-0 defeat to Dundee United at the weekend.

Here's what some of you said:

David: Yet again when it really matters we can't get a result. Lack of concentration for the goal. The next two games are crucial for Neil Critchley, our form doesn't deserve top six as it stands.

Steven: Eat, sleep, repeat. You know what's going to happen with Hearts every time they play - create chances, play some neat stuff, don't score, concede, get beat. The style of play doesn't work in the Premiership. Everyone in the stands can see it so why can't Critchley?

Gary: The doom and gloom merchants are out in force. We dominated the match but just couldn't score. As per usual Nick Walsh was way too quick to issue a red card, could he not have looked at the monitor? Hardly a James Tarkowski-esque challenge was it? This decision changed the game, the Tangerines once again steal the points at Tynecastle.

David: Where do you start with Hearts? Another crunch match, thinking Petrocub here, and no change or improvement. Data, statistics, quotients, ratios, analytics, or whatever you want to call them do not score goals, players do. Perhaps concentrating on them, their abilities and some kind of tactical plan and game management plan might be worth a try.

Donald: United came to play for a draw as a minimum, playing for time from the kick-off. Hearts were again tactically inept, sideways or backwards passing, Beni Baningime was the only one who tried in midfield. He had chances to shoot but never did it, kept offloading to static players. Team setup has zero pace and no movement up front to give options. As it stands, it's a bottom six finish, a relegation battle and a loss in the semi-final. Been a season ticket holder 40-plus years and a walk up decades before that, scunnered by the recent/current season performance.

Chris: Get Craig Halkett and Frankie Kent back into defence, play Cammy Devlin and Beni every single game they are fit and give James Wilson time out of the team. Blair Spittal has been poor for a number of weeks and the management are so slow in reacting. Our defence is weak, bar James Penrice, and the communication is literally non-existent. We are so far off the required level, I don't know many fans who want a top six place. We will lose all five games.

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• Dundee United have scored in each of their last six games in the Premiership, scoring eight goals in that run.

• Hearts attempted 15 shots in this match, higher than their season average of 12.6 in the Premiership.

• Dundee United have kept a clean sheet in 11 of their 32 games, only Rangers (13) and Celtic (20) have done this more often in the Premiership this season.

Watch highlights from Dundee United's 1-0 win over Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

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Dundee United took a significant step towards a top-five Scottish Premiership finish and reignited their hopes of finishing third with victory over 10-man Hearts.

Were you at the game or following along from elsewhere?

Give us your views on the match here.

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Hearts head coach Neil Critchley: "Yeah, disappointed with the outcome, not with the way we played the game. I thought we were by far the better team with 11 men, arguably the better team with 10 men.

"We created more chances, more shots, and we just didn't take them, our quality let us down.

"Obviously, the red card has a huge bearing on the outcome in the game. The only one clear opportunity that they probably created from our mistake, that's on us.

"We gave Dalby too much room in the box, and he scored, and he punished us, and that's really the story of the game.

"We went right to the end, the spirit of the players and the effort was fantastic and [top six is] still in our hands, that's the most positive thing.

"I thought we played in a really good manner, positive, won the ball back off them a lot of times, played some really good football, and it was just our bit in the final third that we, for some reason, mistime things or rush things.

"We just need to show a little bit better quality and composure in the final third, and I think we would have been probably a good one or two goals up at that point."

On James Wilson's red card, he adds: "My initial reaction is it wasn't a red card, I have to be honest, I thought he goes.. The ball gets away from him, he makes a genuine attempt to win the ball and I thought he actually got a little bit of the ball.

"His follow-through, obviously when you're sliding in there's going to be a natural follow-through, and he catches the player. You could say it's a little bit high and mistimed, so on reflection, I can understand the decision and James, he has to take his medicine and learn from it."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Wilson has made a huge impression this season for Hearts and duly received praise from many. But his sending off will be a lesson he will have to learn from.

This defeat also means next week's match at Motherwell becomes decisive as the battle for the final top-six place goes to the final game.

The scenario for Hearts is simple. Win at Fir Park, and its in the bag. Draw, and they have to rely on St Mirren dropping points at home to Ross County.

A nervous Saturday afternoon awaits fans of all three clubs.