Scottish Premiership picks: Edinburgh derby plus Lennon Miller & Derek McInnes in focus
- Published
After Tuesday's draw between Ross County and St Mirren in Dingwall, 10 teams take to the field on Wednesday evening in what could prove to be a pivotal night of Scottish Premiership action.
There are more nervy battles at the bottom, Edinburgh rivals collide in Gorgie and the title race may well take another turn.
Here are the names and games to look out for:
Game of the evening - Hearts v Hibs
The third Edinburgh derby of the season pitches up at Tynecastle as Heart of Midlothian welcome city rivals Hibernian.
A 21-point chasm splits the clubs, with Steven Naismith's hosts still cosy in third despite suffering a five-goal thrashing by Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday.
Hibs, meanwhile, sit seventh but have their eyes on a top-six finish after their weekend win over Dundee moved them to within two points of sixth.
A victory at Tynecastle, coupled with defeat for Dundee at Celtic Park, would send Nick Montgomery's men into the top half, but the Leith side have not won in Gorgie since Boxing Day 2019.
A derby record of one win in 10 top-flight meetings also does not make for good reading, but Hibs will be hoping the old 'form goes out the window' cliche applies come kick-off.
The magic of Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland, who has scored four of Hearts' past eight goals against Hibs, decided the previous encounter after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Tynecastle earlier in the campaign.
Something similar to that four-goal thriller in October would be a treat.
Lawrence Shankland nets Hearts derby winner after penalty miss
Player in focus - Lennon Miller (Motherwell)
Another added-time loss to Celtic will still be stinging for Motherwell, but the champions' 3-1 comeback win should not take the shine away from Lennon Miller's dazzling display.
The 17-year-old midfielder left Callum McGregor reeling on Sunday when he spun the Celtic captain before teeing up Blair Spittal to curl in a fine opener.
But, just like earlier in the season, a trip to struggling Livingston follows a gut-wrenching loss to Brendan Rodgers' side.
Motherwell lost that game in West Lothian, conceding twice after Miller had been shown a straight red card for denying Dan MacKay a goalscoring opportunity.
That defeat was part of a 15-game winless run between September and December. With Ross County threatening to close the gap on Motherwell, talented teenager Miller and his team-mates cannot afford a similar outcome this time around.
Manager in spotlight - Derek McInnes (Kilmarnock)
In six games against the Old Firm this term, Derek McInnes' Kilmarnock have won three.
Celtic have been on the receiving end of two of them, one in the league and the other in the Viaplay Cup, with the first of the three coming against Rangers at Rugby Park on the opening day of the Premiership season.
McInnes' men also took a point at Celtic Park earlier this month. That was followed by victory over Aberdeen on Saturday, a result that stretched Kilmarnock's unbeaten run to seven games.
In fact, the only match they have lost in their past 14 was against Rangers at Ibrox in January, but McInnes and his players will fancy themselves at Rugby Park, where they have lost just twice all season.
The former Rangers midfielder is doing a fine job as he eyes a European spot for his side and may well have another say in the fortunes of the top two.
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