Barry Ferguson spoke yesterday of his desire to stay on as Rangers boss. He also said he has no interest in managing elsewhere if the club decide to look elsewhere.

The former Ibrox captain has only won four of his 10 games in charge, so he will be driven to improve that record over these last five league outings.

St Mirren have won their past two matches against Rangers, which is as many as they managed in the previous 47 meetings.

Only in 1979-80 have the Buddies defeated the Ibrox side three times in a single league campaign.

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David Gray and his backroom staff were rewarded with new contracts yesterday following an incredible turnaround in form at Easter Road.

This team can set a club record today if they take their unbeaten league sequence to 18 games, something the heralded sides of the 1950s and early 1970s could not manage.

Hibs are looking to win three successive league meetings with Aberdeen for the first time since December 2004.

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Game of the day as far as the 15:00 kick-offs are concerned is definitely at Pittodrie where Hibernian, who are third, take on fifth-placed Aberdeen.

It looks like a must-win for the hosts, or at the very least a must-not-lose.

Aberdeen, unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions, have won just one of their past nine league meetings with Hibs (D3 L5), a 4-0 victory in May 2024.

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Michael Wimmer makes two changes to the side that narrowly missed out on a top six finish before the split.

Johnny Koutroumbis deputises at centre back with Kofi Balmer ruled out due to a hamstring injury. He plays in a back three alongside Dan Casey and Stephen O'Donnell. Casey is the only recognised central defender available.

Harry Paton is also in for Tawanda Maswanhise, who fails to even make the bench.

Simo Valakari switches three from St Johnstone's Scottish Cup semi-final thumping at the hands of Celtic. Barry Douglas, Victor Griffith and Nicky Clark drop out for Taylor Steven, Josh McPake and Makenzie Kirk.

St Johnstone also go with just one recognised central defender.

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes makes two changes from the side that were thrashed 5-1 by Celtic.

Defender Robbie Deas and striker Bruce Anderson are brought in for Joe Wright and David Watson.

Likewise, Don Cowie makes a couple of alternations to the Ross County side that started the 3-2 loss to St Mirren.

Midfielder Scott Allardice and defender Jonathan Tomkinson are in, with Josh Nisbet and James Brown the men making way.

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Lawrence Shankland missed training yesterday and is not even fit enough for the bench after he was replaced during extra-time in Hearts' 2-1 Scottish Cup semi loss to Aberdeen last week.

Michael Steinwender also drops out of that side, as does the suspended James Wilson.

Frankie Kent makes a first start this calendar year, while Blair Spittal and Sander Kartum are also in from the beginning.

Tony Docherty is forced into four changes from the recent loss to Hibs, but welcomes back key man Lyall Cameron.

Ryan Astley, Antonio Portales and Seb Palmer-Houlden are the other changes. Jordan McGhee and Oluwaseun Adewumi miss out through injury, Fin Robertson and Mo Sylla are on the bench.

Perhaps not surprisingly, St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson only makes one enforced change from the side that beat Ross County 3-2 to clinch a top-six finish.

With Toyosi Olusanya sold to Houston Dynamo, Mikael Mandron comes into the forward line.

Rangers manager Barry Ferguson makes four changes from the Europa League defeat away to Athletic Bilbao.

Eighteen-year-old Bailey Rice starts in midfield and Hamza Igamane is up front as Vaclav Cerny and Ianis Hagi surprisingly drop to the bench.

Meanwhile, Robin Propper and Clinton Nsiala start in defence as Leon Balogun and Ridvan Yilmaz miss out through injury.

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Aberdeen have an unchanged starting line-up from their Scottish Cup semi-final win over Hearts last time out.

Three changes for Hibernian as Warren O'Hora, Josh Campbell and Kieron Bowie come in for Lewis Miller, Junior Hoilett and Mykola Kuharevich.

Attackers Hoilett and Kuharevich are on the bench, with Miller not in the squad.

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Should Livingston defeat Hamilton Academical this afternoon, they will trail leaders Falkirk on goal difference going into next Friday evening's final fixtures.

Livi are on form, having won 5-0 against Ayr United last time out.

Hamilton? Well, they are contemplating life in League 1 next season after being deducted 15 points for four breaches of SPFL rules, including failing to pay six players. Accies have appealed against the punishment and that hearing will take place before Friday's games.

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We had more drama in the Scottish Championship last night as Partick Thistle struck late to defeat leaders Falkirk.

Bairns fans will be feeling a bit nervy now.

Motherwell: Balcombe, Sparrow, O'Donnell, Koutroumbis, Casey, Thompson, Halliday, Slattery, Miller, Paton, T. Watt.

Substitutes: Oxborough, Seddon, Zdravkovski, Wilson, Ebiye, Andrews, Dickson, Armstrong, Tavares.

St Johnstone: Fisher, Curtis, Balodis, Sprangler, Steven, Carey, Holt, Duke-McKenna, McPake, Kirk, Sidibeh.

Substitutes: Sinclair, Griffith, Svedberg, Ikpeazu, Clark, Kimpioka, Douglas, E. Watt, Franczak.

Kilmarnock: O'Hara, Mayo, Deas, Findlay, Ndaba, Armstrong, Donnelly, Lyons, Murray, Anderson, Wales.

Substitutes: McCrorie, McKenzie, Vassell, Watson, Mackay-Steven, Cameron, Ramsay, Watkins, Polworth.

Ross County: Amissah, Campbell, Wright, Tomkinson, Lopata, Ashworth, Randall, Kenneh, Allardice, Hale, White.

Substitutes: Ross, Brown, Phillips, Grieves, Harmon, Nisbet, Efete, Samuel, Smith.

Hearts: Gordon, Forrester, Kent, McCart, Penrice, Baningime, Devlin, Grant, Kartum, Spittal, Kabangu.

Substitutes: Fulton, Kingsley, Halkett, Nieuwenhof, Steinwender, Forrest, Dhanda, Drammeh, Vargas.

Dundee: Carson, Astley, Shaughnessy, C Robertson, Portales, Mulligan, Cameron, Tiffoney, Larkeche, Murray, Palmer-Houlden.

Substitutes: McCracken, Ingram, Samuels, Reilly, F Robertson, Koumetio, Fraser, Sylla, Donnelly.

Aberdeen: Mitov, Jensen, Dorrington, Knoester, Shinnie, Morris, Clarkson, Palaversa, Keskinen, Nisbet, Gueye.

Substitutes: Doohan, Devlin, Mackenzie, McGrath, Polvara, Dabbagh, Okkels, Milne, Boyd.

Hibernian: Smith, O'Hora, Bushiri, Iredale, C Cadden, Levitt, Campbell, Triantis Obita, Boyle, Bowie.

Substitutes: Bursik, Ekpiteta, Alasana, N Cadden, Moriah-Welsh, Hoilett, Gayle, Whittaker, Kuharevich.

St Mirren: Hemming, Alebiouso, Taylor, O'Hara, Ayunga, Mandron, Gogic, Boyd-Munce, Fraser, John, Phillips.

Substitutes: Urminsky, Iocovitti, Tanser, Smyth, Kiltie, McMenamin, Idowu, Oseni, Scott.

Rangers: Kelly, Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Nsiala, Jefte, Raskin, Rice, Diomande, Igamane, Dessers.

Substitutes: Butland, Cortes, Barron, Basrami, Cerny, Hagi, Curtis, McCallion, Danilo.

The Celtic title party is in full swing as they lead handsomely at Tannadice, but we have lots more going on in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon.

There's a huge match in the race for third as Aberdeen host Hibs and an almighty scramble to avoid the last two places as the post-split fixtures begin.

Rangers can wrap up a distant second place in Paisley but have lost their past two games against St Mirren.

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