The Phobians will host Samartex FC in a matchday six fixture. Should the Martin Koopman led team grab all three points, it would end a perfect week for Koopman and his charges who have flattered to deceive thus far.
Koopman has yet to have a positive impact on the side since he was appointed successor to David Ocloo, but the Dutch boss still needs a handful of his existing players to step up their level on Sunday to provide that all-important quality and depth.
Here’s a look at four Hearts players who need to reach another level to make a title challenge possible…
Kashala Ramos
Talent isn’t the issue because he has proven during preseason that he can make game-changing impact for his employers. With 4 appearances for Hearts, The Congolese forward has been a shadow of himself and has only found the back of the net once.
The whole Hearts attack will need to step up, but Kashala is really the one who can and will set the standard for what the Hearts attack should look like. If the forward steps up, the rest of the attack should follow suit and be in better shape throughout the game.
Nurudeen Abdul Aziz
Nurudeen is a good player and his improvement over the last couple of weeks has earned him a return to the team after regaining fitness. The hard- tackling midfielder finally looks more settled and now needs to find a degree of consistency in his game to be the midfield anchor.
His passing is sometimes wayward and his shooting is often atrocious. But on his game, he is a tenacious ball winner and some more fine tuning, consistency and improvement has the potential for him to be Koopman's main volante.
Ibrahim Salifu
The midfield dynamo is one of the most experienced players at Hearts, but after his dip in form last season many fans were quick to doubt Salifu, and some even demanded he be sold.
However, Salifu has looked sharp in preseason and in Hearts' matches so far in their 2023-24 campaign. Although he has the tendency to wander off at certain points in matches, when he's at his best he can be the best player on the pitch, as he clearly displayed in first season.
Salifu happens to be a brilliant playmaker, and one of his greatest qualities is his creativity. Because the Phobiansare currently lacking that exact quality in midfield, Salifu needs to step up and try to be the creative presence in midfield for Hearts week in week out.
Martin Karikari
Martin Karikari was inevitable to make this list: he's been labelled as Winful Cobbina's successor time and time again.
He's been one of Hearts' most promising young midfielders, but the young playmaker has to step up if he has to etch his name in the club's folklore. He has an enormous amount of potential to thrive at Hearts.
His performances this season will be absolutely crucial to Hearts' campaign, and out of all the players on this list he may be the one who needs to step up his game the most.
