Hibs manager Paul Heckingbottom settles in to his seat in the Easter Road main stand as he completes a two-game touchline ban. Is he directing proceedings from on high? Or is he talking to the bridge on the Starship Enterprise?

We'll soon find out, captain... Set phasers to Malky.

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Hearts manager Craig Levein says that Peter Haring is due back at the club after specialist treatment in Austra and that Steven Naismith's condition has improved to the point that the Scotland striker could be back on the field in a matter of days.

"I'm hoping Haring is only back in Austria for three or four days and then he'll come back and resume training," he explains. "Naismith trained this morning. He has been in training with us for the last few days. We've taken it a little bit slower with his recovery this time.

"I was very anxious and keen to get him back in the team. I was pushing the medical team to get him back on the field quicker. Obviously that hasn't helped the situation. So this time I've been a little more patient. He's feeling good and is now talking about getting ready to play and hopefully that might be on Wednesday evening."

St Johnstone are on the cusp of their 10th league game of the Scottish Premiership season but Tommy Wright's side are still searching for their first victory. Ahead of their clash with Hamilton Accies, the Perth manager has underlined just how important it is that his side win today.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, Wright said: "It's a massive game for us. Having gone so long without a win in the league we want to draw a line under that and start picking up points. The only positive that we can take out of it is that we're not really cut adrift at the minute, even thought we haven't won a game.

"So it's vitally important that we start today and get three points and start moving up that league. I just want the players to be positive and to go out on the front foot to try and make that happen today."

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Hibernian assistant coach Robbie Stockdale is overseeing proceedings in the dugout this afternoon with boss Paul Heckingbottom serving a touchline ban. Hibs are aiming for a first Premiership win since the opening day of the season.

On the omission of striker Christian Doidge from the match-day squad, Stockdale tells BBC Scotland: "Christian had a niggle for a little while and he took a heavy knock at Hamilton. But Flo Kamberi has been training really well and it’s an opportunity for him to get back in the team.

"We feel we've played better over the last few weeks and not got the results. Some of that’s our own doing, we need to be more clinical at the top end of the pitch, but it’s a big week for us – two home games and then a cup semi-final, it’s what you want to be in football for."

Last season Hearts were well and druly thumped 5-0 by Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena and while Craig Levein may not be the first one to bring up that particular memory, he does admit that it has had some bearing on his preperations for today's game.

He tells BBC Scotland: "That's not my primary concern. Of course, we want to come here and perform well and win. What that match has helped us with is in understanding what type of game it is going to be today and not falling in to the same traps we fell in to in that particular match."

Hearts may have picked up impressive results against Rangers, Aberdeen and Hibs in the past few months, but Levein is adamant that his side need to do more in the game they're expected to win.

"We haven't played particularly well in the matches we're supposed to win," said the Tynecastle boss. "That's not me being disrespectful to anybody. There are reasons for that. Some of it is fairly apparent but I think it is up to us to make sure that in situations where we have got problems that we can cope. It's about trying to find that level of consistency no matter what the line up is."

Jonathan Sutherland
BBC Sport Scotland

It was 14 December the last time Hearts visited Livingston - a Friday night fright for the Jambos as they were mauled 5-0 by the Lions.

Today is the chance to make amends, Hearts looking to build on their creditable 1-1 draw with Rangers last weekend. But the story of the Hearts season so far is that they have produced marquee results against bigger sides when they have really needed to but have often toiled against supposedly weaker opposition.

Livingston beat Celtic here just a few week ago. After a disappointing defeat at Kilmarnock last weekend, expect Gary Holt’s side to be right up for the battle.

Ross County co-manager Steven Ferguson describes last weekend's 6-0 drubbing by Celtic as "a blow to take".

"We feel we put that to bed early in the week and looking at the way the players have performed in training, we have got Saturday out of their system," he tells BBC Scotland. "They feel that today is an opportunity to put some things right.

"We felt a little change in shape and personnel would give people opportunities to make sure they keep control of the jersey. I don’t think anyone could have expected to play this week. We felt we didn’t owe anybody anything on the back of the result last week. We’ve picked a team we feel will put Hibs under pressure."

Craig Levein has been forced to leave Glenn Whelan, Steven Naismith, Peter Haring, Aidy White and Jake Mulraney out of his side to face Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

Jamie Walker, Ben Garuccio, John Souttar, Conor Washington and Craig Wighton are others in the sick bay.

Jamie Brandon and Steven MacLean are the visitors' two changes from the starting eleven that held Rangers last weekend.

The hosts make two changes as Lyndon Dykes failed a late fitness test, with Aymon Souda and Alan Lithgow coming and Ricki Lamie dropping to the bench.

We are starting to worry about the sanity of Hibs followers following a particularly frustrating run. The Easter Road men have scored first in their past four league matches - and haven't won any of them. It started with a sore home defeat to city rivals Hearts, while they could not finish off 10-man Aberdeen and last weekend they were pegged back by a Hamilton Accies penalty after dominating the first half.

Without a win since the opening day of the campaign, the pressure is firmly on manager Paul Heckingbottom and his players to deliver today.

Ross County will be smarting from a 6-0 hiding at Celtic Park last time but can be satisfied with the start they have made to life back in the top flight.

The Staggies have not beaten Hibs in five attempts since the League Cup final of 2016 - the Highland club's finest hour.

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It's fair to say Kilmarnock fans were not overly impressed by the start of Angelo Alessio's reign at Rugby Park as a disastrous Europa League exit was followed by two league defeats and a drab goalless draw.

But the Italian looks to be finding his feet in the big shoes left behind by Steve Clarke and a win today would lift the Ayrshire side into third place.

Killie have won the last three meetings with St Mirren - all by a one goal margin.

However, the visitors finally found their shooting boots last weekend, scoring two crackers to see off St Johnstone.

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St Johnstone have won their last five home games against Hamilton and how they would love to make that six in a row.

The Perth side are the only team in the league yet to register a victory this season and they looked rather sorry for themselves during last weekend's 2-0 loss at St Mirren.

Accies are actually looking for a hat-trick of wins over the Saints but those two previous successes came in South Lanarkshire.

Brian Rice's men are five points clear of the hosts and have dug out handy draws at Tynecastle and St Mirren Park.

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Livingston were unbeaten against Hearts in the league last season and that included an incredible 5-0 demolition job the last time the teams met in West Lothian.

That one was 0-0 after 71 minutes and you can relive the action with the highlights below.

Livi ended a four-match losing streak by stunning Celtic 2-0 but then fell to Kilmarnock last weekend, so it's hard to know what to expect.

Hearts have been consistently terrible this season but did show a marked improvement in a stirring 1-1 draw at home to Rangers last Sunday.

Hibernian manager Paul Heckingbottom has made three changes from the team that was held by Hamilton Academical last time out. Most notably Florian Kamberi starts in attack for Christian Doidge, who is nowhere to be seen. Jason Naismith replaces Tom James at right-back against his former team, while playmaker Scott Allan returns to the midfield in place of Daryl Horgan.

Unsurprisingly, Steven Ferguson and Stuart Kettlewell, the Ant & Dec of Scottish football management, have made four alterations in the wake of last Saturday's 6-0 pounding at Celtic Park. Ross Stewart, Josh Mullin, Blair Spittal and Joe Chalmers don't make it in, with Billy McKay, Ewan Henderson, Lewis Spence and Sean Kelly coming in.

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Livingston: Sarkic, Devlin, Guthrie, Lithgow, McMillan, Bartley, Jacobs, Crawford, Lawless, Souda, Robinson

Substitutes: Stewart, Lamie, Odoffin, Lawson, Tiffoney, Sibbald, Pittman.

Hearts: Pereira, M. Smith, Berra, Hickey, Brandon, Bozanic, Clare, Irving, Meshino, MacLean Ikpeazu

Substitutes: Doyle, Wighton, Damour, Dikamona, Keena Morrison, Logan

Chris Burke dropping out for Liam Millar is the only change for Kilmarnock as they bid to follow up their win over Livingston last week and go third in the Premiership.

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St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin had rated Kyle McAllister "touch and go" for the trip to Rugby Park, and it appears the midfielder has failed to prove his fitness, missing from the match day squad.

The visitors make just one change to the starting line-up from the team that beat St Johnstone. Cameron MacPherson replaces Calum Waters.

While we wait for Livingston to reveal their line-up, I can tell you Steven Naismith doesn't make the visitors' team.

The Scotland striker has not played since the end of August due to a hamstring complaint and is almost there - but not quite, evidently.

After missing the final three months of last season, the 33-year-old has made just one start this term - and lasted a mere 45 minutes, while there have been two appearances off the bench.

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St Johnstone: Clark, Ralston, Duffy, Kerr, Tanser, McCann, Davidson, Wotherspoon, Kennedy, Wright, May.

Substitutes: Parish, Swanson, Vihmann, Craig, O'Halloran, Kane, Hendry.

Hamilton Academical: Fon Williams, McGowan, McCann, Stubbs, Easton, Martin, Hughes, Beck, Gogic, Miller, Oakley.

Substitutes: Gourlay, Davies, Cunningham, Mackinnon, Moyo, Smith, Hamilton.

Hibernian: Maxwell, Naismith, Porteous, Hanlon, Stevenson, Vela, Hallberg, Mallan, Newell, Allan, Kamberi.

Substitutes: Marciano, Horgan, James, Jackson, Middleton, Shaw, Murray.

Ross County: Laidlaw, Foster, Fraser, Fontaine, Watson, Kelly, Draper, Spence, Henderson, Gardyne, Mckay.

Substitutes: Dixon-Hodge, Grivosti, Mullin, Graham, Spittal, Chalmers, Paton

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Kilmarnock: Branescu, O'Donnell, Findlay, Del Fabro, Hamalainen, Dicker, Power, El Makrini, McKenzie, Brophy, Millar

Substitutes: Koprivec, Hendrie, Bruce, Thomas, St.Clair, Burke, Jackson

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, Broadfoot, McLoughlin, Macpherson, S.McGinn, Foley, Magennis, Andreu, Obika, Mullen

Substitutes: Lyness, Erhahon, Flynn, Henderson, Durmus, Djorkaeff, Moria

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We have a top of the table Fife derby in League One as East Fife make the short trip to Stark's Park.

Falkirk are just one point behind the top two and will fancy their chances at home to Clyde.

Only one match in the bottom tier today, with teams involved in the second round of the Scottish Cup.

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