There's a bit of a shake-up from Derek McInnes' former assistant, as Tony Docherty makes four changes - and a potential system switch - from the Boxing Day defeat to Celtic.
Mohamad Sylla, Ryan Howley, Josh Mulligan and Scott Tiffoney come in, with Cammy Kerr, Lyall Cameron, Malachi Boateng and Zak Rudden making way.
Image source, SNS Lyall Cameron drops to the bench
Image source, BBC SportKilmarnock: Dennis, Mayo, Wright, Deas, Findlay, Armstrong, Watson, Lyons, Kennedy, Watkins, Vassell
Substitutes: O'Hara, Ndaba, McKenzie, Sanders, Murray, Polworth, Donnelly, Dallas, Mackay-Steven
Dundee: Carson, Donnelly, McGhee, Shaughnessy, Beck, Howley, Sylla, Tiffoney, McCowan, Mulligan, Bakayoko
Substitutes: Ledgzdins, Kerr, Cameron, Ashcroft, Reilly, Robertson, Rudden, Boateng, Lewis
Image source, BBC SportKilmarnock forwards Matty Kennedy and Marley Watkins have brushed off fitness concerns while Liam Donnelly and Fraser Murray return. Innes Cameron and Kyle Magennis remain out with hamstring issues.
Dundee have Charlie Reilly back fit and will give Zach Robinson and Ricki Lamie as much time as possible to prove their fitness. Diego Pineda picked up a knock during the warm-up ahead of the Boxing Day defeat by Celtic and will miss out, while fellow Mexican Antonio Portales will not return until after the winter break with a hamstring injury.
Image source, SNS
Image source, SNSAfter being well-beaten by Celtic on Boxing Day, Dundee stalwart Cammy Kerr is asking his teammates to show resilience as they get set for a trip to in-form Kilmarnock on Saturday.
Feeling post-Celtic:
"Excited, it’s another tough challenge in front of us but we’re certainly looking forward to it.
"We’re looking to bounce back after the defeat against Celtic. We’re fine, it’s part and parcel of football to bounce back from defeats, we’ve done it before.
"Credit to Celtic, they came out in the second half and played some great football."
On Killie:
"The boys are confident, they still go about their work in the right way, the same manner every day in training, under no illusions how well Derek McInnes and Kilmarnock are doing.
"They’ve had a very strong season and they’ve beat Celtic on their home turf so we know how difficult it’s going to be but it’s like every game in this league.
"Every game is incredibly difficult but we’ve got to go there with confidence and try and put our stamp on the game and hope that we can get something."
Belief in squad:
"Every game is different in this league and every game is a challenge but we’re doing well. We know where we’re at and we know there’s always room for improvement.
"We don’t get too far ahead of ourselves at any time and we’re on that single track of trying to get better, trying to pick up wins or draws away from home and just keep trying to be better every week."
On morale:
"Everyone is fine, it’s part of your job to make sure that every time you go on the park you’re ready, every time you’re training you make sure you’re at it and there are good professionals in the changing room and everyone is raring to go."
Dundee face a tough test in Kilmarnock this weekend - an in-form Derek McInnes side sitting third, and a team the Dark Blues have not beaten in their last seven attempts.
Tony Docherty says the only way to take as many points as possible from their last two games before the winter break is to go "full throttle".
"It’s an important game, we’ve only got two games left until the winter break and it’s against a team I know well," Docherty said.
"That’s five of their last six they’ve won. They’ll be in a confident mood but I think it’s important that we stay in a confident mood as well.
"We’ve done well this season, yes we had a difficult game against Celtic but they were excellent, particularly their second half performance I thought they were relentless.
"It’s important that we’re full throttle, we’re pedal to the metal for this one and make sure that with these two games remaining, if we can come out with as many points as we can and real positive performances, that’s our aim."
Image source, SNSDundee manager Tony Docherty has faced the media ahead of his side's match against Kilmarnock.
Here are his main points:
Expects Kilmarnock to be in a confident mood - but despite a 3-0 defeat to Celtic says his side should be confident too after good performances.
Celtic game been "firmly put to bed now" as they focus on bouncing back against Killie.
Wants Dundee to be "full throttle" to gain as many points as possible before the winter break.
Says his side have an internal points target, but the main thing is to maintain their performance level.
Charlie Reilly is back in the squad and fit, while Docherty is hopeful Zach Robinson and Ricki Lamie will train tomorrow and be available for the weekend. Diego Pineda is carrying "a little knock".
Kilmarnock have only lost one of their last 14 Scottish Premiership meetings with Dundee (W5 D8), and are unbeaten in seven (W3 D4) since a 1-0 defeat in May 2017.
Dundee have lost both of their last two top-flight visits to Kilmarnock (both back in 2018); they had only lost one of their previous eight such trips beforehand (W4 D3).
Kilmarnock have won five of their last six home league games (L1), as many as their previous 14 beforehand (W5 D5 L4).
Excluding seasons in which they were relegated, Dundee have lost their final top-flight match of a year in nine of their last 11 such games (W2), including their last two in a row (0-2 v St Johnstone in 2018, 1-2 v Aberdeen in 2021).
Kilmarnock’s Derek McInnes has never lost in 18 previous top-flight meetings with Dundee as a manager (W13 D5), winning his last six in a row at home (all six with Aberdeen).
Image source, BBC SportTony Docherty says he's fairly happy with the squad he's built, but should he be looking to make a few additions in January?
How do you see the window panning out for Dundee, and which areas would you like to see strengthened in reinforcements are to be brought in?
Dundee travel to Rugby Park on Saturday, looking to bounce back from their 3-0 defeat against Celtic.
Who would you pick to start if you were in Tony Docherty's shoes? Choose your Dundee XI here.
Former Dundee striker Kenny Miller says Dundee did well to stay in the game against Celtic for as long as they did but was “disappointed” in the changes made by manager Tony Docherty.
“I was a bit disappointed that before that second goal they hadn’t had a bit more of a go, they hadn’t made a change,” Miller said on the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast.
“The change of taking your front two off and putting Scott Tiffoney and Zach Robinson on.
“Tiffoney is not that player, he’s not a target man, he’s not a striker, he’s more of a runner on the wider area or a runner beyond the front two.
“I’m a little bit disappointed in that but they’ve stayed in the game for a long time.
“It was always going to come, you can’t keep teams at bay unless you carry a lot of luck, teams like Celtic who are constantly asking you questions without something dropping, they maybe rode their luck a little bit in the first half.”
Image source, SNS
We asked for your thoughts after Dundee lost 3-0 against Celtic.
Here’s a taste of what you had to say:
Bob: Not very often that I can say this but we were poor all round, it was attack against defence the whole game. I can accept getting beat 3-0 but at least have a go.
Carl: The wrong team selection, wrong formation and wrong tactics meant we were beaten before we started. Our lack of width meant Celtic had a free pass on both wings and they used it to their benefit. We were outclassed by a better team who deserved their victory.
Alister: Extremely poor tactics and game plan in the second half. Trevor Carson yet again let in two bad goals, the same as he did at Motherwell a couple of weeks ago. I’ve said it before but we have zero decent strikers up front and Malachi Boateng can't compete in the midfield on his own. For some time now, players are just turning up and going through the motions and not fighting for the shirt or their wage.
Brian: We were totally outclassed, it’s an embarrassment to our supporters, sadly both Celtic and Rangers are financially miles ahead of everyone else.
Tyrone Smith, BBC Sport Scotland
You get the sense that Dundee’s next block of games could be potentially season-defining for Tony Docherty’s side.
I wrote recently that after a trio of away fixtures, they at least had home comforts to enjoy in back-to-back Dens Park dates with Aberdeen and Celtic.
Well, the Dons game was postponed and they lost 3-0 to the champions.
Now they face another brutal looking run of league fixtures, with only three of their next nine Premiership outings on their own turf.
And given that only one of their last four games has been in the City of Discovery, you start to see how punishing and difficult a sequence this is.
During a season everyone plays the same amount of times, but the way those fixtures fall that can determine how a campaign plays out.
Dundee remain well placed in mid-table and they have been a team that have dealt pretty well with the obstacles that have been placed before them since they returned to the top division.
They will certainly need to do so again over the coming couple of months.
Highlights: Dundee 0-3 Celtic
On Tony Docherty: "We're very proud of what Tony does, his work ethic, the way he puts his team together. He doesn't leave one stone unturned and he prepares, prepares, prepares. Because of that, we've had a bit of success. Our goal is to stay in the league this year and Tony is making that look easier than it is.
"It takes some doing, but Tony has been in this game for a long term, he's well-versed, well-educated, has two degrees. He probably could have taken the step a while ago but he and Derek were a team and he was very loyal. Now he's a bit older, a bit more ambitious, and we're glad he made that decision.
"We have an idea of what we'd like but you have to go out and find those parts and Tony and the team did that. It was a bit manic during the summer and we're planning on not being that manic going forward. He's done a fantastic job in a very short period of time."
On Owen Beck: "We're hoping he stays until the end of the season. There's no way in hell he'll be here beyond the end of this season. He's going to end up with a full national team cap quite quickly. We love him, he enjoys being here."
On Aberdeen postponement: "We'll put a letter into the league and the SFA. We didn't understand why in the world we didn't take time, like they did at Cove. We were told by the league to do whatever we could do to get the game on, and it seemed like we were the only ones that wanted to do that. It was dry enough that we could have a training session."
Image source, SNS
Image source, .Were you at Dens Park or following the match from home? Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here.
Dundee manager Tony Docherty told BBC Scotland: "I was happy with the first-half performance.
"I came in at half-time bemoaning that our ball retention could have been better, but our defensive structure was very good and I stressed to the players - as we are an honest group - that the first 10 minutes against the Old Firm, it is really vital that you stay in shape and don't lose your discipline.
"And I just felt a couple times that they made those runs down the side and we succumbed to that. When Celtic get their tails up like that it's difficult. You can see the quality they are bringing on off the bench.
"That won't define our season, our reaction to it will define our season. When we lost to Rangers here and lost our 'run', our reaction was really positive to that. I'll be looking for the same from the players and I think they have the character to do that.
"It is important we bounce back from today, it's difficult for the players but they've shown us a real consistent level of performance this season."
Image source, SNSBBC Scotland's Andy Campbell
The amount of chances Celtic carved, particularly on the left, encouraged them to keep at it and their persistence paid off with the Paulo Bernardo opener.
However, a second-half injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers will be a frustration given Rangers' impending visit on Saturday.
Dundee's counter-attacking game did not create too many openings, though a looping Zak Rudden header forced Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart to retreat and catch in the opening half.
Defensively, the Dark Blues were often effective in getting in blocks to repel both shots and crosses and it's easy to see why Tony Docherty's side find themselves in a comfortable mid-table position.
Image source, SNSPaulo Bernardo scored Celtic's 52nd-minute opener
On-loan Liverpool left-back Owen Beck has recovered from a groin issue to start again for Dundee as Tony Docherty makes two changes from the side that beat Ross County last time out.
Cammy Kerr returns to defence as Ricki Lamie misses out, while Zak Rudden comes into attack as on-loan Wimbledon striker Zach Robinson drops to the bench.
There, he is joined by fit again centre-half Lee Ashcroft and forward Diego Pineda, but there's still no return for on-loan Burnley midfielder Marcel Lewis.
Image source, SNSZak Rudden comes into Dundee's starting line-up
Image source, BBC SportDundee: Carson, Kerr, Beck, Shaughnessy, McGhee, Bakayoko, Cameron, McCowan, Rudden, Boeteng, Donnelly.
Substitutes: Legzdins, Tiffoney, Pineda, Ashcroft, Mulligan, Robinson, Robertson, Howley, Sylla.
Celtic: Hart, A Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, O'Riley, Bernardo, Maeda, Palma, Furuhashi.
Substitutes: Bain, Yang, Turnbull, Oh, Kwon, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh, M Johnston.
Image source, BBC SportDundee manager Tony Docherty believes his side can cause Celtic problems on Boxing Day, and want to channel frustrations positively after their game with Aberdeen on 23 December was postponed.
"When you get promoted, you look forward to playing these games," Docherty said. "It will be difficult, we understand that, but we're in good form.
"Regardless of opposition I've got huge faith and trust in my team that any time I set them up, it's to win football matches. Hopefully we can execute a gameplan that can cause problems for Celtic - that's what we'll be endeavouring to do.
"With the frustration of the Aberdeen game being called off, hopefully we can take some of that frustration out in the game."
