Hearts find themselves two points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership without a win in five games but at least halted a run of four straight defeats with Sunday's draw at home to Aberdeen.

However, Hearts have the worst home record in the Premiership this season and Neil Critchley's side have failed to win their latest four at Tynecastle.

Dundee, meanwhile, arrive undefeated in three after Saturday's fine 4-1 win over Motherwell but have not picked up back-to-back league wins since March as they look to repeat the win over Hearts at Dens Park in August.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland at Tynecastle Park

Common sense would say that Hearts are surely one of these days going to click and find form. However, common sense and football rarely meet and, with each game that goes by without a victory, the darkness descends on Tynecastle.

For Dundee, Tony Docherty has found a way to win with his group of players and, despite having less of the ball than they would have liked, they were clinical in front of goal against Motherwell and will arrive in the capital in confident mood.

There is a chill in the air here at Tynecastle, but thankfully the rain has relented.

United have gone four games without a win over Kilmarnock, but they will head into this one with plenty of confidence that they can repeat their last - a 4-0 drubbing at Tannadice in November 2022.

Jim Goodwin's side are not only four points clear of city rivals Dundee in fourth but are unbeaten in four games, having scored five goals for no reply in two successive home victories.

Derek McInnes' team arrive battered and bruised from a 6-0 midweek hammering away to Rangers - their fourth defeat, and third away from Rugby Park, in a run of five without a win and their heaviest Premiership loss since Celtic inflicted the same scoreline in 2012.

Kilmarnock, now sitting third bottom, will also be smarting from the two late goals conceded as United left Rugby Park with a 3-3 draw in September.

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin tells BBC Scotland: "Its great to have Louis Moult back. Himself and Sam Dalby have worked realy well together in training. They're a really good partnership and looking forward to seeing how they get on here.

"We're in a really good place at the moment. Lots of confidence within the group. Good, consistent individual performances.

"We've been very good here at home in front of our home support, so hopefully that will continue."

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Having dropped seven points behind Celtic after Wednesday's 1-0 defeat by the reigning champions, Aberdeen's priority now is to protect their four-point lead in second over Rangers.

That loss ended a 17-game unbeaten run at Pittodrie since today's visitors won 2-0 there in February, the latest 14 of those being victories, including 11 this season under new manager Jimmy Thelin.

Now the Swede must steady the ship after a run of four games overall without a win as Finnish counterpart Simo Valakari aims to do likewise after his side's narrow defeat by the other half of the Old Firm.

Last weekend's 1-0 home loss to Rangers means ninth-placed Saints have lost four (and won only one) of their latest five outings and are only three points off the bottom.

Having brought their closest challengers to heel with Wednesday's win in Aberdeen, albeit by a single goal, Celtic will be odds-on favourites to dismiss second-bottom Hibs.

The Dons' draw at Celtic Park in October remains the Glasgow side's only domestic slip this season and they are now 12 unbeaten overall since their 7-1 Champions League humbling by Borussia Dortmund.

They are 11 without defeat at home this campaign and 23 overall since Hearts won at Celtic Park almost exactly a year ago.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland at Pittodrie Stadium

St Johnstone suffer a blow in the warm-up as centre-back Bozo Mikulic has pulled up injured.

Kyle Cameron slots straight into the starting XI.

Gully Singh
BBC Sport Scotland at St Mirren Park

The Motherwell ultras are revving up the energy with the banging of the drum in an attempt to encourage their side who are out warming up.

Surely Stuart Kettlewell's side can muster up a response after three straight defeats?

Paisley is never an easy place to come to. St Mirren have plenty of positives to take from recent home performances.

Considering St Mirren were on a four-game unbeaten run until losing to Dundee United last time out, while Motherwell have lost three in a row, it is perhaps surprising that today's visitors remain a point ahead in sixth with a game in hand.

That is much to do with Motherwell's lack of draws - they have gone 16 games either winning or losing - and also their 2-1 win at Fir Park over today's hosts in September.

However, they have not scored, never mind won, in Paisley on their latest three visits.

As mentioned earlier, two games have been called off in the fourth thier, but the top two still go head-to-head as East Fife, without a win in six outings, entertain leaders Elgin City, who have lost on their latest six visits to Methil.

Third-top Peterhead will look to take advantage as they visit second-bottom Clyde.

• Bonnyrigg Rose P-P Spartans
• Clyde v Peterhead
• East Fife v Elgin City
• Stirling Albion v Edinburgh City
• Stranraer P-P Forfar Athletic

If Hearts are to pull themselves clear of the relegation zone, Lawrence Shankland must rediscover his goalscoring form - as nobody else in the squad seems capable.

The 29-year-old scored 33 times last season, but although he has had more goal attempts - 48 - than anybody in the Premiership this season, the club captain has found the net with just one.

A conversion rate of just 2% is pretty dismal for the once prolific Scotland striker whose hopes of a move to a bigger club next summer are quickly disappearing.

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Of course, it comes with territory that, whenever any player starts to shine in the Premiership, the rumour mill starts linking them with a move south of the Border.

The latest is Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn, with the speculation claiming Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion are both considering bidding for the 24-year-old in January.

The German certainly continues to impress in his second season since arriving from Rapid Vienna and his five goals and six assists, in 12 appearances, mean he has been involved in more goals than any other player in the Premiership this season.

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Surprise third-tier leaders Stenhousemuir, seeking a fourth straight win, entertain bottom side Dumbarton, who are unbeaten in three, as second-top Kelty Hearts entertain Alloa Athletic, who are just behind them on goal difference but without a win in five outings.

Arbroath are also level on points with those two as they host seventh-placed Queen of the South, to whom they have already lost twice this season, in a match live this evening on the BBC Alba television channel.

Montrose host Inverness Caledonian Thistle seeking their first win in eight meetings since 1995.

• Annan Athletic v Cove Rangers
• Arbroath v Queen of the South (17.30, Watch live on BBC Alba)
• Kelty Hearts v Alloa Athletic
• Montrose v Inverness Caledonian Thistle
• Stenhousemuir v Dumbarton

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes tells BBC Scotland: "I'm always tempted to give Bobby Wales a chance, but Bobby's young.

"Bobby's still got aspects of the game to learn. We're delighted with Bobby. When he's come off the bench, he's given us something.

"Bruce Anderson is an experienced centre-forward. He's scored goals in the Premiership. We've gone with Bruce.

"The [6-0 loss to Rangers at Ibrox] in isolation wasn't good enough. The second-half performance was nowhere near good enough. It's important that we don't dwell on the previous game. We were so ashamed of the performance."

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Hibernian head coach David Gray tells BBC Scotland: "It's going to require a massive performance from every single player, but it's also a test the players should look forward to.

"The players know what to expect, they know the challenge, but we need to take momentum from the weekend and start as positive as we can.

"You can't just sit in a defensive shape and not cause any problems going the other way. History is there to be rewritten."

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Hibs might be up against it at Celtic Park, but they head to the home of the reigning champions showing some green shoots of recovery that have eased pressure on head coach David Gray.

Not only did they end a run of nine games without a victory with last weekend's 3-0 success in Motherwell, but it lifted them off the bottom of the table and, following the draw with Aberdeen, was the second successive game where they have scored three goals.

However, Celtic have won the latest four meetings between the sides, are unbeaten in five since a 4-2 loss at Easter Road in May 2023, and have not lost to Hibs at Celtic Park in 19 games since a 2-1 reverse in January 2010 under John Hughes.

Indeed, Hibs have lost five in a row there, the latest four by three or more goals, since a 1-1 draw in January 2021.

Simo Valakari will be hoping Topi Keskinen does not come back to bite him should the Aberdeen winger coming off the bench at Pittodrie.

The St Johnstone manager on Friday revealed that he wanted to sign the then 19-year-old for KuPS two years ago, but the club owner refused to pay the £40,000 fee for his fellow Finn who then joined HJK Helsinki before his £800,000 summer transfer to the Dons.

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin explains why Nicky Devlin is on the bench for the first time this season.

"It's important to keep the energy high," he says of the right-back. "There's not much recovery time between the games right now.

"Our substitutions can make an impact later in the game, but we want to start really, really intense.

"We don't have a game next week, so it's important to give the fans the feeling of winning at home."

Dundee manager Tony Docherty tells BBC Scotland: "It's all about freshness. We had a three-game week. I don't have the biggest squad, so it's important to keep the energy. That's the reason for the changes.

"Hearts have a different way of playing. They try to be strong in the middle of the pitch, their structure is different from the start of the season. That doesn't affect my structure and my game plan.

"We're averaging 2.6 goals a game almost, so that's no mean feat. It's so important we attempt to keep clean sheets in the knowledge that we're scoring goals."

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Kheredine Idessane
BBC Scotland at Celtic Park

Word on the street here is that a large number of Celtic fans may not be able to get to the game today given the travel disruption caused by Storm Darragh.

Officials telling me traffic and footfall around the stadium is noticeable quieter than usual. Interesting to see to what extent the stadium fills up.