Having suffered a third consecutive away defeat and with Celtic and Rangers having narrowed the gap at the top, Derek McInnes will be glad of some home comforts as he looks to allay the narrative that his long-time leaders are cracking under the title pressure.

The coming weeks will certainly be a test of his managerial expertise, starting with the visit of a side led by former Hearts caretaker and captain Steven Pressley.

Pressley knows all about how the Tynecastle crowd can be 12th man in the good times but can quickly turn febrile in frustration.

Hearts remain unbeaten at home in the Premiership this season, but since losing on penalties to Falkirk in the Scottish Cup in January, they have drawn with Celtic and scraped three successive 1-0 wins.

The nervousness and tension could at times be cut with a knife and Dundee arrive buoyed by their two-goal, stoppage-time fightback to draw Sunday's city derby.

Eight points clear of St Mirren and Kilmarnock, Pressley's side are not yet clear of relegation trouble but are edging there after five unbeaten games.

McInnes has also been here before, leading Aberdeen to four consecutive...