Scottish Premiership picks: Hearts v Aberdeen showdown & MacLean needs win
- Published
The race for third place in the Scottish Premiership could be decided this weekend, while the tension in the four-way fight to avoid the drop will only intensify.
Celtic and Rangers firmly take a back seat with the title done, but most of the division still have something to fight for. Here's a flavour of what you can look forward to.
Game of the weekend - Hearts v Aberdeen
St Johnstone's trip to Rugby Park is a huge game, but given the significance of finishing third, it has to be the battle between two of Scotland's biggest clubs on Saturday lunchtime that headlines the weekend.
If Celtic win the Scottish Cup, third will once again guarantee European group-stage football and a bounty of at least £4m.
This is Hearts' chance to move two points behind Aberdeen and stay in with a chance of enjoying that cash for the second straight season.
But Barry Robson's Dons are very much in pole position, having overhauled a 10-point deficit to Hearts since the former midfielder took charge in January and steered the side to seven straight wins.
However, defeat against Rangers and a fortunate draw at home to Hibernian last time out has checked their momentum slightly.
Plus, Aberdeen's record at Tynecastle is terrible. The 5-0 humiliation in January when Jim Goodwin was at the helm was their eighth visit in a row to Gorgie without winning.
There is also a question mark about the fitness of their talisman Luis 'Duk' Lopes, who limped off last week.
Steven Naismith has yet to get Hearts firing consistently in his four games since replacing Robbie Neilson, having registered just one win, and this is their last throw of the dice in the race for third.
A draw doesn't really cut it for Hearts, they must win. If they do, it blows the race for the £4m bounty open again with two games left.
If Aberdeen end their Tynecastle woes they also kill Hearts' hopes, and will be confirmed as the third best side in the country unless Hibs beat Rangers on Sunday.
Player to watch - Kevin van Veen (Motherwell)
Watch Kevin van Veen's cool penalty against St Johnstone
Another week, another Kevin van Veen goal? You'd not bet against it...
The Dutch striker is flying for Motherwell. His Panenka penalty in the win over St Johnstone last week was his eighth game in a row. If he manages to net on Saturday against Ross County, he'll be the first player since Mark Viduka to scorin in nine consecutive games.
At 26 goals in all competitions so far this season, Van Veen has targeted 30 for the campaign. Watch this space...
Manager spotlight - Steven MacLean (St Johnstone)
St Johnstone's trip to face Kilmarnock is huge for MacLean, who inherited a tough hand from Callum Davidson when he departed last month after a run of two wins in 16.
A victory would move St Johnstone on to 39 points, five clear of Killie with two games left, which would surely be enough to at least avoid automatic relegation, and probably the play-off too.
But if they lose they will drop below Derek McInnes' side - and Ross County as well if they win at Motherwell.
It won't be easy, given only Celtic, Rangers, and Livingston have managed wins at Rugby Park all season in the league, and Saints have the worst form of the bottom four in the last five games.
While MacLean has plenty of knowledge from his playing career to draw on, he is up against a much more experienced trio of McInnes, Malky Mackay and Goodwin in the dugout in the battle for survival.
Can the former forward overcome that gap in seasoned knowledge to guide Saints to safety?
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