Hearts are sweating on the fitness of Danny Wilson for Saturday's Scottish Premier League clash with St Mirren at Tynecastle.
Defender Wilson missed last weekend's 1-0 defeat at Dundee with a thigh injury and it has not responded well to medical treatment.
With skipper Andy Webster unavailable following his sending off at Dens Park, Dylan McGowan is expected to continue at centre-back alongside Darren Barr.
St Mirren will also be without their captain as Jim Goodwin completes his two-match ban suspension, while Darren McGregor remains sidelined as he recovers from a serious knee injury.
A win for the Buddies at Tynecastle would put them level on points with their opponents and end their relegation fears.
St Mirren boss Danny Lennon said: "Hearts are a big club with an ambitious young manager in Gary Locke who has a lot of talented players. We'll have to be at our best on Saturday to earn the three points.
"I would imagine that the suspension of Andy Webster, who is a big player for them, will be a blow for them but it will undoubtedly give someone there the opportunity to show that they can step up.
"We know it will be a tough task on Saturday but our players are going into the game fully focused on winning."
