Heart of Midlothian are in a very different place to the team and club that last visited Cappielow.

Back then, in April 2021, it was behind closed doors in the reduced Championship campaign. Craig Gordon was between the sticks and Steven Naismith was a second-half substitute.

Come Monday evening, Gordon will likely be in goals but Naismith is now head coach and Hearts are back in the top flight and heading towards European qualification for the third consecutive season, the first time that will ever have been achieved in the club's history.

Morton will come up against a side that are very much in form. Just one defeat from the last 15 in all competitions, a run that has included wins over The Spartans and Airdrieonians in the previous two Scottish Cup rounds.

It is expected that the team will face a challenge more akin to the one provided by the former. While Hearts swept Airdrie aside, they had to rely on a late winner to see off the League Two opposition.

Dougie Imrie will have undertaken extensive preparation for Naismith’s side but the focus will be on man in particular. Someone who will be familiar with the Morton support owing to a loan spell earlier in his career: Lawrence Shankland.

Greenock Telegraph: Lawrence Shankland

He is, as the Hearts head coach has said many times, the best striker in Scotland. His numbers have been incredible.

Where do you start? 27 goals in all competitions. 16 in his last 15. 19 in 19. He’s hit 20 Premiership goals in consecutive seasons and is heading towards the league’s top scorer award and the most goals in a season for Hearts by a player since the 1950s.

It is and has been more than Shankland. This Hearts side have taken big strides in their defensive output. They have conceded just one goal from set pieces in the league all season.

After early concerns from fans, Naismith has developed the team into a fine unit that are versatile and can win games in different ways, whether it be coming from behind, blitzing teams, controlling games or not playing well but grinding out results. Home and away.

Hearts are set to be missing up to five first-team stars, including summer signings Frankie Kent and Calem Nieuwenhof, who have had a strong impact. But the squad has proven itself to be deep and resilient.

Even with injuries to key players, it can be hard to predict what XI Naismith will pick from week to week. He likes to make tweaks for each game and that can be both personnel and the team’s tactics.

All in all, it has taken the team to a commanding spot in the Premiership and one step away from a return to Hampden Park.