Hearts management address areas which must improve after talks with players

Only Rangers have beaten Kilmarnock in the Premiership since Hearts’ 1-0 victory at Rugby Park back on 2 December. That statistic highlights the difficulty of Saturday’s task as the Edinburgh club pursue three points which would mathematically confirm a third-place finish and guarantee European league-stage football next season.

The £5m UEFA revenue that would bring is no more important than the footballing prestige. First, the reality of achieving that goal this weekend means doing something every other team in the league has struggled to do lately bar Rangers. Kilmarnock are a motivated, organised and talented force under manager Derek McInnes, underlined by three defeats in 21 matches since that reverse against Hearts back in December. Aberdeen knocked them out of the Scottish Cup last month allied to the two Rangers losses.

So Hearts’ task is clear. They won at Rugby Park in the League Cup last September and consequently boast victories from both visits there this term. Another on Saturday would finalise a principal pre-season target set by management and directors alike. Of course, the home team will not be short on motivation as they look to take a significant step towards securing fourth place, and with it a place in the Europa League’s second qualifying round. They sit 11 points behind third-placed Hearts at the moment.

The connotations are multiple ahead of this fixture. Hearts coaching staff have addressed players to identify areas needing improvement following Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final exit against Rangers. After recording only two clean sheets in their last eight games - one of those being against Championship side Morton - defending has come under the microscope at Riccarton this week.

"Kilmarnock have had a brilliant season,” said the Hearts head coach Steven Naismith. “They are a tough team who know what they are doing. They've got dangerous wide players and forwards on form, so we will need to defend better than we have done in recent games. That's something we have spoken about.

"I think there is a slightly different feeling to this game for both clubs. They are both comfortable in terms of the gap between us, but you are playing one above the other in the league. We played them not that long ago so everybody will know what to expect. The other factor is the pitch. It does change the way you play. Chances can be created through no fault of the players. It's the surface.”

Disappointment from Sunday has lifted but Naismith is not keen to simply brush the cup exit under the carpet. He believes such experiences carry important lessons for the future. "It lingers for a few days because you have that disappointing feeling. In my experience, as long as there is progress then you look back on these moments and they can turn out to be a positive,” he said.

“It's not like we are at the end of a cycle with the squad and there is great hope that we should be winning trophies; the expectation is that high because you have progressed over a number of years. We are at step one. It's our first season together, it's a really young squad.

“To have two semi-finals, that experience and disappointment just drives the hunger. I believe that's what it will do. We are bitterly disappointed in the moments we concede the goals because we are better than that. Hopefully we look back in a few years to get the positives from these negatives.”