Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock 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, SNS

After Kilmarnock beat St Mirren to go four points clear in fourth place on Wednesday, the large travelling support sang of how their side are on their way to Europe.

Derek McInnes has said the Ayrshire club's fans can dream, but his players must remain focused on the task at hand to meet their first objective of being a top-six side.

"As a team, as a collective, we're really pleased with what the players are giving us," he said. "Ultimately, now, it's just about finishing off the year with a strong performance.

"It is important that we just have a fight with ourselves just now, rather than a fight for anything else.

"The points that we've got just now, we're sitting a 30 points. Traditionally, you need to be somewhere between 44-47 points to get into the top six. We're on track for that and that's the the first port of call.

"If we can keep chipping away, get our points, get into the top six, that's the time when you reassess what you want to do.

"Normally when you're in the top six, you're not far away from competing for Europe. While supporters can talk about that, and think about that, and dream about that, it's important that we concentrate on winning a game tomorrow against a tough team.

"It's important that we don't look too far ahead of ourselves, but there's nothing wrong with working towards something."

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media ahead of Dundee's trip to Rugby Park on Saturday.

Here are the key lines...

• Enjoying the performances of his side, describing them as a "difficult opponent" for every team they face.

• His side are "on track" for a top-six finish with their current points tally, which would mean they're "not far away" from European places.

• However, the manager stresses that while fans can "dream" about the prospect of heading on their travels, his players can't look too far ahead of themselves.

• Highlights similarities between St Mirren and Dundee and praises former assistant Tony Docherty's job at Dens Park so far.

• Returns for Liam Donnelly and Fraser Murray mean that Killie are only without Kyle Magennis and Innes Cameron. McInnes says they got Matty Kennedy and Marley Watkins off the pitch "at the right time" on Wednesday and both are fit.

Image source, SNS

Image source, BBC Sport

Derek McInnes has already said he's not looking to do too much to his Killie squad in January, but he would like to add to his striking options.

Are there any names you'd like to see walk through the Rugby Park gates, and do you think there are other areas of the pitch your club should be looking to improve?

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• 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).

Fourth placed Kilmarnock are aiming to keep the pressure on Hearts in the battle for third place.

Derek McInnes will be hoping to make it three wins in a row for his side when they welcome Dundee to Rugby Park on Saturday.

Who would you pick to start? Tell us here.

Ian McCall says Kilmarnock are “looking like a really, really strong outfit” as they recorded another win after beating St Mirren 1-0.

Derek McInnes’ side sit fourth in the Scottish Premiership table just two points behind third-placed Hearts and McCall says people shouldn’t be surprised by it.

“I don't know why it's such a surprise to everybody that Derek McInnes is doing so well,” McCall said on the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast.

“Looking at the form table his whole record would suggest he's only behind Rangers because they've won the last five in a row, Derek's had four wins and a draw.

“One of the things he said at the start of the season is they need to have more of an impact on the big two, Celtic and Rangers, which I think unarguably they've done.

“They need to improve their away form and I think that’s four clean sheets in a row and they’re looking like a really, really strong outfit.

“They've got a lot of younger guys at the back Lewis Mayo, Robbie Deas, who've come through the hard way, but they're both good players, with a lot of pace, and they look a good bet for the top six, it’s a terrific result for them.”

Jonathan Sutherland, Sportscene presenter

Lewis Mayo earned his spot as a big part of an increasingly impressive Kilmarnock back line, while Matty Kennedy's fine assist for Marley Watkins sealed all three points in the 1-0 win against St Mirren.

We asked for your views on Kilmarnock’s 1-0 win against St Mirren, here’s what some of you said:

James: Well done again. Our back four were tremendous and Will Dennis was solid in goal. Marley Watkins has turned the corner and is becoming a nuisance to the opposition. My only complaint is that we are letting the opposition into the game too much. We need to kill these games off better, otherwise keep it up.

George: Derek McInnes came in, won the league, kept us in the league and people were not happy. I have said to a few friends let’s judge him when he brings in his own players, he’s the man. Another brilliant result again, things are looking good. Killie fans need to get back to the games.

Amy: A well-deserved three points. We're electric going forward when we need to be but not enough is said about us defensively. We handled St Mirren easily all match. Superb from Kilmarnock once again.

• Kilmarnock are undefeated in their last five games in the Scottish Premiership, their last longer unbeaten streak was from March to April 2019, a run of six games.

• Matty Kennedy has contributed to goals in his last three games in the Scottish Premiership (one goal, two assists).

• Kilmarnock are unbeaten in their last four matches when leading at half time, dating back to August (when they lost 2-1 to Motherwell).

Image source, .

After another fine away result, is that the away curse lifted?

Was that a deserved three points? Who was your player of the match?

Let us know your thoughts.