Pressure at Tynecastle & Rugby Park as break beckons

The Scottish Premiership is about to enter its first mid-season hiatus with international football taking centre stage after this weekend's games.

No-one wants to go into the break pointless or off the back of a heavy loss.

Here are some games and names to watch out for.

Game of the weekend - Hearts v Dundee United

OK, Celtic v Rangers is the biggest top-flight match of the weekend but it will get plenty of attention.

What's interesting about Hearts' home meeting with Dundee United is that promoted United go into Sunday's game unbeaten in the Premiership while last season's third-placed team, Hearts, are winless this season.

Head coach Steven Naismith has not yet settled on a first choice XI, due in part to Hearts juggling European fixtures along with league and League Cup games.

The Tynecastle side desperately need to get captain and talisman Lawrence Shankland firing again and playing against his former club might just be the ticket, though he did miss the midweek loss to Viktoria Plzen.

For United, a morale-boosting win against St Johnstone last weekend followed draws with Dundee and Ross County. They are also through to the last eight of the League Cup and manager Jim Goodwin is seeing his newly-built squad spread the goals around.

Player to watch - Kieron Bowie (Hibernian)

Last Saturday was almost the turning point Hibernian had been looking for, with Kieron Bowie scoring to put them 2-1 up against Dundee.

A late equaliser denied Hibs a first Premiership win of the season but Bowie getting a goal so early in his Easter Road career will do him no harm at all.

The Scotland Under-21 forward, 21, is back in Scottish football after four years plying his trade down south and on Sunday he will be hoping to find the net against a Kilmarnock side who exited the Conference League at the hands of Copenhagen on Thursday.

Manager watch - Derek McInnes (Kilmarnock)

Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes, like his Hearts, Rangers and St Mirren counterparts, has been trying to tackle both domestic and European fixtures early in the season and it has taken a toll.

Killie are yet to register a point in the league and are out of the League Cup. If they are to secure another top-six finish and push for Europe again, they cannot get too detached, even at such an early stage.

Aberdeen, Dundee and Dundee United have already set their stall out in pursuit of a top-half place. Hibs too would like to be in that position and stand between McInnes' men and three points on Sunday.