Derek McInnes has issued a stark warning to his Hearts squad ahead of Saturday's trip to Fir Park, acknowledging that Motherwell have been a "problematic" opponent all season—and could easily have beaten them in every meeting so far.

As Hearts push closer to the title, McInnes knows that underestimating Jens Berthel Askou's Steelmen would be a costly mistake. Despite Motherwell failing to secure a win against Hearts in three attempts this campaign, they have consistently caused trouble for the Tynecastle side.

Back in August, Motherwell stormed to a 3-0 lead in Gorgie, only for Hearts to mount a stunning comeback in the final 25 minutes to snatch a point. A goalless stalemate followed at Fir Park in November, before another dramatic encounter last month saw Motherwell take the lead, miss several chances to extend it, and eventually lose 3-1.

"They carved us open a few times," McInnes admitted. "They constantly test your organisation throughout the game. They can make subtle tweaks and different ways of playing that challenge you. I'm not the only manager to sit here before facing Motherwell and say how well they've done. They're a good team, well coached, confident, and they look like they enjoy playing."

The respect is mutual, and the quality on both sides was reflected in the PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year shortlist, which featured Hearts forwards Claudio Braga and Lawrence Shankland alongside Motherwell's attacking duo Elijah Just and Tawanda Maswanhise. Braga took the award, but McInnes insists Motherwell's individual talent deserves more recognition.

"I think they've got very good players. Sometimes that gets left behind—everyone talks about how well coached they are and their style—but they have really good individuals as well. They've been problematic for most teams, not just us. We've managed to do our job well enough, but honestly, they could have beaten us in all three games."