Kilmarnock

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Kilmarnock midfielder Jack Thomson returns from suspension while Kyle Magennis is back in training.

Tyreece John-Jules (quad), Djenairo Daniels (knee), Matty Kennedy (hip) and Lewis Mayo (hamstring) remain out.

Hearts welcome back Oisin McEntee, but Stephen Kingsley (calf), Craig Gordon (shoulder), Ageu (thigh), Cammy Devlin (ankle), Stuart Findlay, Lawrence Shankland, Calem Nieuwenhof and Finlay Pollock (all hamstring) are still unavailable.

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Kilmarnock full-back Jamie Brandon hopes to rediscover his early-season form as the Rugby Park outfit try to end the campaign on a high.

The former Livingston captain didn't lose any of his first eight matches with Killie, but has since struggled with injuries, meaning he only played two matches in almost six months.

Having returned to full fitness, Brandon wants to bounce back after a heavy defeat by Falkirk last time out.

"It's been a bit of a difficult season," Brandon said. "Obviously we are not sitting where we would like in the league and I've missed a large portion of it. So to get back on the pitch has been really enjoyable.

"I came in and started well and I was really enjoying my football. So if I can get back to that level of performance, it would be great."

Both sides are keen for points with Hearts seeking to at least maintain their lead at the top and Killie looking to move clear of the relegation battle.

"They are a great club, but we have to look at how we can get three points because we need them at this stage of the season," the former Hearts man said.

"They are obviously flying at the top of the league and it will be a difficult game, but we have got to believe in ourselves."

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• Claudio Braga has 12 league goals for Hearts in 2025-26, the most by a non-British/Irish player in their debut top-flight season with the club since Juanma in 2015-16 (also 12), while the last to net more was Rudi Skacel in 2005-06 (16). Eight of Braga's 12 Scottish Premiership goals have come away from home.

• Hearts have lost their past two away league outings, as many as in their first 12 of the season beforehand (W8 D2 L2). Hearts last suffered more successive away defeats in the Premiership in October 2024 (five).

• No side has lost more home games in the top flight this season than Kilmarnock (eight, level with Livingston). Killie haven't lost more on home soil in a single campaign in the competition since 2015-16 (11).

• Hearts have won their past two league visits to Kilmarnock and could win three in a row at Rugby Park in the top flight for the first time since January 2011.

• Kilmarnock have only secured two wins in their past 10 league meetings with Hearts (D4 L4), winning 2-1 in October 2024 and 1-0 in December 2024 (D1 L3 since those two).

Samuel Ukah
BBC Sport Scotland

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Manager Neil McCann has been speaking to the media before Kilmarnock's Premiership match with Hearts on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• Having not played since the 5-1 thrashing by Falkirk almost a fortnight ago, McCann says: "It's been a long time since that result for us all to just sit on it, the disappointment, and it's our first chance to put that behind us."

• He noted his side's "brilliant attitude in training" since that heavy defeat.

• McCann believes his side have been "right in it" in most other games and that result has given them a "jolt at maybe a good point in the season" before the split.

• On Hearts: "They're coming here with their own pressures to stay at the top of the table and I think they'll be thinking this is a hard game."

• Killie have been "really good at home of late" and McCann wants his side to maintain that form as they bid to upset Hearts.

• Knowing the visitors will "fill their section" with 5,000 fans, McCann pleaded for Kilmarnock supporters to "be on it" on Saturday night.

• The squad is looking "pretty strong", with McCann adding: "We've got a full group again training today."

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Kilmarnock striker Marcus Dackers has completed a permanent move to Korean K League 2 side Daegu FC for an undisclosed fee.

The 23-year-old spent just nine months at Rugby Park, scoring four goals in 30 appearances this season, including 12 league starts.

Since Neil McCann's arrival as manager in January, Dackers has started just one of Killie's eight Premiership games.

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

When the beaks at Hampden are agreeing their TV deals I suspect the fans are bottom of the list of considerations.

We've just had a Scottish Cup weekend with matches being played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

In some cases travelling fans would not make it home via public transport and that will be the case for Hearts supporters this Saturday as they head to Killie for a late kick-off.

It's incredible that fans still faithfully turn out in good numbers when you consider how they are treated by the authorities allied to the total shambles that is VAR.

We'll put all that to one side for now to focus on another massive game as we host the league leaders at the Theatre of Pies.

Killie fans were generally positive until the Falkirk game but that 5-1 defeat has destroyed a lot of the confidence that had built.

Hopefully that game was just a one-off and we can maintain our home form, which has been good. I'll predict a surprising single-goal victory for Killie.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

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Kilmarnock have conceded the most penalties in the Scottish Premiership this season.

The Rugby Park side have faced an eye-watering total of 10 spot-kicks - three more than any other team - in 29 games. Of those 10, seven were scored and three missed.

At the other end, Killie have been awarded just one penalty (the joint fewest in the top flight along with Falkirk).

It came in the 1-1 home draw with Dundee United in October. Bruce Anderson's effort was saved by Yevhen Kucherenko, but the striker tucked away the rebound to open the scoring.

With Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson keen on moving to a club playing Champions League football, who qualifies between Celtic, Rangers and interested English clubs could determine where the 21-year-old heads this summer when his contract expires. (Football Insider), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

There may have been some small signs of optimism in recent weeks but our battering at Falkirk wiped out most of the positive vibes.

The main reason we are in 11th place is down to losing extremely soft goals all season and Saturday was another glaring example of our inability to defend.

We have said it before but it's worth repeating - the main priority in the window should have been a dominant and experienced centre-half.

There is a clear case for making four or five changes for the Hearts game so let's see how manager Neil McCann reacts to that humbling defeat.

McCann has been too loyal to several players so the time is right to freshen up both defence and midfield.

Three of our four remaining pre-split games are at home and they will go a long way to deciding our final league position.

Special mention again to the long-suffering fans who turned up in large numbers only for the team to ruin their weekend.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

Watch Sportscene pundit Richard Foster discuss Kilmarnock's poor performance in their heavy 5-1 defeat at Falkirk.

Kilmarnock striker Marcus Dackers is set to seal a six-figure transfer to South Korea, with the 23-year-old having been given limited game time recently. (Killie Chronicle), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Watch all the action as Falkirk enjoy a comfortable Scottish Premiership win over Kilmarnock.

We asked for your views on Kilmarnock's 5-1 loss against Falkirk.

Here's what some of you said:

David: Disgraceful performance from the first minute. Each player needs to take a long hard look at themselves and ask - am I giving enough? For the 870 Killie fans that travelled, they should be reimbursed the ticket cost by the players - just not good enough!

Iain: What is there to say? Complete abdication of responsibility by the defence. Inept, incompetent - these are just words but there is nothing really anyone can say about this performance. I feel sorry for Kilmarnock's manager Neil McCann.

He gets the stick when everyone knows this is down to the players! They should go home, look in the mirror and ask themselves did I earn my pay cheque today? If honesty prevails they will answer that with a very humble, no!

James: Back to earth with a bump! Back to the same problems we have had all season. Dodgy goalkeeper, extremely poor defence and forwards that can't score. Only Greg Kiltie got pass marks, the rest were very poor. We need at least two central defenders.

Gary: Utterly disgraceful showing and they should be ashamed to take a wage from that performance. Shambolic, heartless and clueless. Play-offs at best.

Thomas: You could have driven a bus through the Killie defence. Woeful, clueless, ball-watching and incompetent. Need I say more?

David: We were well beaten by a better side. We just didn't turn up and paid the price. It was like being back in the Stuart Kettlewell era again!

Adam: Completely out played from early on. No midfield at all. Why not change things early, because even after three minutes it was obvious we were not at the game!

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Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann: "It doesnt help when you lose a goal in the first minute. We were beaten by the better team today, without question.

"I've got no gripes. Falkirk wanted it more, they were aggressive, up for it and it could have been more.

"We just come up well short. We faced a side that wanted it more, that won't be accepted. It's a sobering day for us and a reality check.

"We've had plenty of plaudits with how we were playing. But football is a hard game and if you don't turn up and play at your best that's what happens to you."

Scintillating Falkirk all-but secured a top-six berth in the Scottish Premiership by thrashing woeful Kilmarnock, who remain firmly in relegation danger.

How concerning was that defensive display from Killie?

Have your say.

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Falkirk defenders Liam Henderson and Lewis Neilson return but Louie Marsh faces up to eight weeks out with a thigh injury and Kyrell Wilson misses out with an ankle problem.

Ben Parkinson (ankle) remains sidelined, while Ross MacIver and Gary Oliver are still working their way back.

Kilmarnock striker Tyreece John-Jules is out for the rest of the season with a quad injury, while Jack Thomson is suspended.

Kyle Magennis is back training after recovering from a knee problem but is not ready to play. Djenairo Daniels (knee), Matty Kennedy (hip) and Lewis Mayo (hamstring) remain out.

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Ethan Schilte-Brown says it would be "quite a jump" if he was to go from lower-league loan deals to the World Cup with Canada, but insists it is still his "dream".

The defender has featured for Canada's Under-20s and is hopeful he can earn a call-up for this summer's finals.

Schilte-Brown, 20, joined Killie's academy from the youth system of MLS side Orlando City in 2023 and had temporary spells with Canada's Halifax Wanderers, Cumnock, Albion Rovers and Dumbarton before impressing at Rugby Park this season.

Co-hosts Canada will face Iceland and Tunisia in a pair of international friendlies in late March as part of their World Cup preparations.

Prior to the Premiership game at Falkirk on Saturday, Schilte-Brown said: "My main focus is here and just trying to perform well for Killie, but if that's a by-product of what happens here then brilliant.

"That's the dream and it's never far from my thoughts but obviously my full focus is here right now.

"I think the gaffer spoke to them [Canada management team] but again I'm just focused here and I'm not going to read into anything until it's real or until it happens.

"That would be quite a jump [from loan deals]. I try and grow from every situation I am in. I learned a lot from Cumnock, Rovers and Dumbarton. It was really beneficial.

"As a young player, you need to play games. It doesn't do you any good just training all the time and no matter what level it is, there's a massive difference between playing with men and playing youth football, especially the physical side of it.

"You need to learn that if you're going to grow in the game and continue on.

"Playing first-team football is what everyone wants. That's where it's going to prepare you the most so I think it's prepared me.

"If I get called up, it's obviously an honour to get my first call-up, but I think with the World Cup in mind, you want to push on and prove to that manager that you're ready for that next step."

Killie are eight points ahead of bottom side Livingston and two behind St Mirren having played a game more than the Paisley side, but Schilte-Brown remains confident of retaining top-flight status.

He said: "I think there's every chance for us to get the safety. I think we will do it.

"The games that we have coming up are massive for us, especially the game this weekend with a sold-out away end, so just looking forward to it."

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• Falkirk have won both of their Scottish Premiership games against Kilmarnock this season; the last opponent against which they won three games within a single top-flight campaign were Inverness CT in 2007-08.

• Kilmarnock have won just two of their past 23 away games against newly-promoted opponents in the top flight (D13 L8), both coming against St Mirren in 2018-19.

• Falkirk have lost their past two league games, last losing three in a row in the top flight in March 2010.

• Kilmarnock are winless in 11 away league games (D4 L7), last going longer on their travels without winning in the Scottish Premiership from August 2022 to April 2023 (16).

• Nineteen-year-old Ben Broggio has scored in both of his home Scottish Premiership games for Falkirk. The last player to net in his first three home appearances in the Scottish top flight was Mika Biereth for Motherwell in November 2023, while the last teenager to achieve this feat was James Forrest for Celtic in September 2010.

Daldeep Kaur
BBC Sport Scotland

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Manager Neil McCann has been speaking to the media before Kilmarnock's trip to face Falkirk on Saturday.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• McCann is "absolutely devastated" for striker Tyreece John-Jules, who is out for the rest of the season after signing a contract extension.

• He adds: "It's a huge blow to us as a team, because he's so good about the dressing room. I love him to bits, he's always smiling, he's always got a very good way about him. He's a very talented footballer, that isn't going to leave him, the talent."

• John-Jules is a "big influence" in the squad and McCann still wants him around "because of his personality".

• McCann praised Marley Watkins' spirit to return to the scoresheet after his injury and is "really pleased" for the 35-year-old, but doesn't think he's "ready to get 90 minutes under his belt".

• There is "really pleasing news" on Kyle Magennis as the midfielder, who has been out with a knee injury since October, is back in training.

• Having been "disappointed" to only pick up a point at Tannadice last weekend, McCann thinks "it's a good time to play" Falkirk because Killie are "in a good place".

• But he knows it will be a "very difficult game" and praised John McGlynn for the "degree of confidence and understanding" he has instilled in his team.

• "All the teams are very capable of beating each other," he says on the fight to escape relegation and the battle at the top of the table, but insists his full focus is on Killie.

• McCann praised the "absolutely brilliant" fans and insists they are a "massive help" as Killie recorded back-to-back wins at Rugby Park.

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Kilmarnock striker Tyreece John-Jules has signed a one-year contract extension, keeping him at Rugby Park until the summer of 2027.

However, the 25-year-old has sustained a "substantial" quad injury which will rule him out for the rest of the current campaign.

John-Jules joined Killie in October on a short-term deal before extending his stay for the rest of this season.

The former Arsenal man has scored eight goals for the Ayrshire outfit, but went off injured in his most recent outing.

"Tyreece is an influential character in the dressing room and will continue to play an important role around the club in the coming months," a club statement said.

"Everyone at the club is fully behind him during his recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on the pitch and ready to go for the new campaign."

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

Kilmarnock's hard-fought draw on the ploughed field of Tannadice may turn out to be a vital point come the end of May.

It was simply impossible to play good football on that surface and a share of the points was probably fair, even if we did leave it very late.

The manager had to rejig the team with Joe Hugill taking over the role as the main striker and he should improve with game time.

The injury to Tyreece John-Jules came just when he was in great form and we can only hope he is back sooner rather than later.

We gained a point on St Mirren who are one place above us, the Buddies are in freefall as they concede soft goals at one end and struggle to score at the other.

I suspect that the battle at both ends of the league will run until the last game, it's not often we can say that.

Killie are on the road again as we head to Falkirk who have had an excellent season so far.

They have dropped off a bit in recent weeks so hopefully Killie can take advantage and pick up at least a draw on Saturday.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

Watch the best of the action from Tannadice as Kilmarnock rescue a last-gasp draw against Dundee United. (Available to UK users only)