Scottish Premiership: Things to watch this weekend
- Published
With Glasgow's big two going at it on Sunday, the rest of the Scottish Premiership assembles at three o'clock on Saturday.
Aberdeen and St Mirren are now nervously looking over their shoulders at the wrong end of the table, while three teams are slogging it out for two Europa Conference League places, with the top three slots already secured.
Here are some of the things to look out for.
Can St Johnstone pull away from play-off spot?
St Johnstone maintained a five-point advantage on bottom side Dundee with a draw at Dens Park last time and now the team from Perth are looking up the way.
Callum Davidson's side occupy the play-off spot but can cut the gap on St Mirren to two points if they prevail in the battle of the Saints.
St Johnstone have not lost at home to St Mirren over the past four seasons and the visitors are on a horrible run of five successive defeats in all competitions. The Paisley men have lost eight from nine since Jim Goodwin left and Stephen Robinson came in.
The hosts have built up some momentum for the closing straight, with just one defeat in five, winning two of them, although that was a seven-goal mauling at Celtic Park.
It's sure to be a tense affair at McDiarmid Park and maybe not full of penalty box thrills since eight of the last 13 meetings have had one goal or less.
However, there is one in-form striker on show. With seven goals, St Johnstone's Callum Hendry has had a new lease of life since returning from a loan with Championship winners Kilmarnock in January. St Mirren have failed to score in five of their eight league matches under Robinson.
Will Watt complete the set?
Dundee United, Motherwell and Ross County are in the hunt to finish fourth and fifth, which come with Europa Conference League qualification.
Just one point covers the trio, who have all won 10 of their 34 games, and nothing changed in the snail race to Europe last weekend after they all lost.
That can't happen again since the Steelmen make a third visit to Tannadice thanks to the vagaries of the split.
Each of the three previous meetings this season have been home wins and Tony Watt has scored each time; a penalty on a losing trip to Tayside in October, an early screamer to win the game for Well in November, while he doubled United's lead against his old team in February.
United, who still have Celtic and Rangers to play over their last four matches, lead the way in this mini-league of three with 41 points but have only won one of their last eight league outings. Motherwell have managed one win from 14 Premiership games in 2022.
Aberdeen were fourth last season on 56 points, while the tally for that position in 2018-19 (Aberdeen again) and 2017-18 (Hibernian) was 67 points. The Dons got to 45 in 2019-20 when the whole thing came to a halt after 30 games.
Dundee aim to drag Dons into dogfight
Aberdeen fans will be getting all misty-eyed with nostalgia about those fourth-place finishes after a thoroughly miserable campaign.
The Dons have already surpassed their meagre goals tally of 36 from last season but have forgotten how to keep the door locked at the back and are the only team in the UK senior leagues not to have kept a clean sheet this year.
Dundee will be fighting for their lives and have taken four points from Aberdeen at Dens Park. However, the Dark Blues have not won at Pittodrie since 2004.
We were spared the sight of Mark McGhee going naked this week after St Johnstone found an equaliser, but the manager is sure his unusual motivational techniques are having a positive impact.
Dundee have shown plenty of spirit to dig out three consecutive draws, taking their run to five draws from seven in the league, but they desperately need victories to have any chance of avoiding the drop.
Heaven knows what McGhee will get up to if he can beat his former club, but it would certainly mean dire straits for the Dons, who have lost their last two at home and it's not impossible for a squad low on confidence to get dragged into a relegation scrap.
Hearts ticking along nicely
Hearts are in a good place right now, unbeaten since February and with a Scottish Cup final to look forward to.
Current form is all the more impressive when you consider the long list of players missing, including their first choice back three.
Competition is healthy as players vie for a place in the cup final and it's a pressure-free environment with third place long wrapped up.
Ross County have enjoyed some good tussles with Hearts of late and the points have been shared on six of the last seven meetings.
Another point at Tynecastle could be very handy with their immediate rivals facing each other at Tannadice.
Livi eye hat-trick over Hibs
The battle for seventh doesn't sound very sexy, because it isn't. Livingston and Hibernian are locked in that joust and David Martindale and David Gray don't come across as characters who will allow any slacking off even if there is little to play for.
Gray, serving his second spell as interim boss this term, is unlikely to be considered for the Easter Road post after the failed experiment with the inexperienced Shaun Maloney, but the former captain will definitely command respect. And, if he can improve on his record of two wins, a draw and a narrow cup final defeat, then you never know...
Lewis Stevenson and Paul McGinn, around the same age as 33-year-old Gray, have returned in recent weeks and Hibs, ravaged by injuries all season, look more solid for it.
Livingston will still be haunted by throwing away a 2-0 lead to miss out on a top-six spot but showed good resilience to win away to Aberdeen last weekend.
The West Lothian side are looking for a third successive win over Hibs, something they have never managed before.