Kilmarnock face Heart of Midlothian at the BBSP Stadium Rugby Park on Saturday afternoon, aiming to build on their first league win of the season. The match kicks off at 16:45 UTC and sees the 12th-placed Ayrshire side host a Hearts team sitting third in the Premiership table.

Manager Derek McInnes will be forced into defensive changes. Robbie Deas remains out with a foot injury, while Michael John Kamara is also unavailable. Their absences are a blow for a team that has conceded 14 goals in six league matches, the second-worst defensive record in the division. The clean sheet in last weekend's 1-0 victory at Hibernian, secured by George Stanger's 40th-minute header, will have been a welcome boost.

Recent form

Kilmarnock's form has been mixed. That win at Easter Road followed a 1-1 home draw with Aberdeen and a goalless stalemate away to the same opponents. Prior to that, they suffered consecutive home defeats to St Mirren and a heavy 4-0 loss to Dundee United. The side has taken four points from their opening six fixtures.

Hearts arrive in strong form despite a 2-1 defeat away to Falkirk last time out. Before that setback, Steven Naismith's side had won four consecutive matches in all competitions, including league victories over Dundee, Hibernian and St Johnstone. Their attack, featuring the likes of Y. Dhanda and J. McPake, will test Kilmarnock's reshuffled back line.

Team news

McInnes is likely to stick with the 3-4-2-1 shape that proved successful at Hibernian. M. Stryjek should continue in goal, with C. McCarthy and G. Stanger certain starters in the back three. The third centre-back slot is up for grabs. In midfield, the energetic duo of T. Lowery and B. Rice will be key, while G. Kiltie will look to supply forwards T. John-Jules and J. Hugill.

Hearts are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1, with B. Reus in goal behind a defence marshalled by S. Findlay, a former Kilmarnock player. Their midfield has significant creative talent. The visitors have no reported injury concerns of note.

A positive result would provide key momentum for Kilmarnock ahead of a challenging run of fixtures. Fans can check the upcoming schedule on the club's fixtures page. The match is a significant test for McInnes's side as they look to climb away from the lower reaches of the Premiership, where they currently sit 14 points behind leaders Celtic.