Dundee don't have their troubles to seek off the park - and on it they have lost three games in a row, although they were all away from home and they are actually seeking a third straight home win.

James McPake's side left Tynecastle with a point in October and beat Hearts on their last visit to Dens Park, 3-1 in January when both sides were in the Championship.

Hearts have alternated between defeat (four times) and victory (three) in each of their last seven league matches and, after losing 2-0 to Rangers last time out, should be due a win if that sequence continues.

Will troubled Dundee overcome and beat a Hearts side shorn of talisman Liam Boyce? Thumbs up for yes, thumbs down for no.

In case you missed Prof Jason Leitch on Off the Ball earlier, Scotland's national clinical director insisted there is no "secret plan" to shut down sporting events in Scotland.

More than 100,000 fans are set to watch football in Glasgow alone this weekend, with Rangers and Partick Thistle at home and the League Cup final at Hampden on Sunday.

No Scottish matches have been postponed despite Omicron disruption in England.

Read more here.

Last evening's 4-0 thumping of Edinburgh City has consolidated Forfar Athletic's second place, but League 2 leaders Kelty Hearts will hardly be quacking in their boots considering they are still four points clear with two games in hand as they prepare to visit fourth-top Stranraer.

Annan Athletic are now nine points behind Forfar as they visit a sixth-placed Stirling Albion side playing their second game under interim boss James Creaney.

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All of a sudden, the top end end of League 1 isn't so tight, with Cove Rangers, who host Alloa Athletic, three points ahead of Montrose, who have themselves established a five-point lead over Queen's Park and Airdrieonians.

That makes this afternoon's visit by the Spiders to Montrose all the more important for both sides and the Diamonds travel to face Clyde.

Pre-season favourites Falkirk, who play their first game with former Scotland striker Kenny Miller as assistant, are in danger of being detached in fifth place as they visit bottom side East Fife.

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Four of the top five teams in the Championship are at home, with leaders Inverness Caledonian Thistle hosting a Hamilton Academical side who are surprisingly in the bottom half of the table after relegation.

Likewise Kilmarnock, who started as pre-season favourites but are underachieving in fourth, at home to Dunfermline Athletic.

The odd ones out are second-top Raith Rovers, who are away to fifth-placed Partick Thistle.

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Jason Cummings is not in the Dundee squad today after the striker was sent home from training after attending a large-scale show at Glasgow's Hydro on Thursday without permission.

Dundee manager James McPake tells BBC Scotland the former Hibs forward was "completely unfit to train".

"He will be away from the club until Monday and then we'll deal with it internally," he says.

"He was unfit to train. It's something I'm not going to go into, but there's enough social media and enough that I can't deny it either. People will make their own minds up why he's not involved today, but it's not down to injury or Covid.

"Do I have to hold my hands up, possibly, I signed Jason. On the whole for what he's done - he helped us get promoted - but what he done on Thursday is completely unacceptable.

"We've a massive game today. We've a strong-ish XI. Lets not make this about someone it doesn't deserve to be about."

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Dundee United head coach Thomas Courts tells BBC Sportsound the fact he has been able to field a starting line-up is a "real positive" after a Covid outbreak at the club.

"It feels live an achievement," he adds. "It's been an interesting week. It's never been in our mindset to have the game cancelled. We had five positive cases up until last night, but we are keen to focus on the football.

"We have 10 academy players in the squad, five starting, and a 16-year-old making his debut. We've got to be excited by that today."

Courts also says "it wouldn't appear" that any cases have emerged from the players' Christmas night out in Newcastle.

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Midfielders Dean Cornelius and Liam Donnelly come into Graham Alexander’s Motherwell starting XI and defender Sondre Solholm returns from injury and is straight in from the start too.

Callum Slattery and Jake Carroll drop to the bench and Barry Maguire drops out of the match-day squad.

Striker Eetu Vertainen is not in the St Johnstone squad after being hauled off at Ibrox in midweek and criticised by manager Callum Davidson.

Winger Glenn Middleton is in the starting line-up again after being ineligible to face parent club Rangers in midweek.

Defender Callum Booth, midfielder Craig Bryson, winger Viv Solomon-Otabor and striker Stevie May also come in from the start.

New signing Jacob Butterfield, who made his debut from the start midweek, is on the bench along with Reece Devine, Michael O'Halloran and Ali Crawford. Midfielder Murray Davidson starts from the bench after his return from injury.

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United suffered from a Covid outbreak in midweek and boss Thomas Courts has made six changes to the side that were defeated by Livingston a week ago.

It's unclear what changes are Covid related, but goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist, Kieran Freeman, Ian Harkes, Jeando Fuchs, Ilmari Niskanen and Peter Pawlett are all out and don't feature on the bench either.

Coming in are Trevor Carson in goal, Chris Mochrie, Adrian Sporle, Darren Watson, and teenage midfielders Archie Meekison and Craig Moore, who makes his debut.

That intriguing team news from Ibrox is that right-backs James Tavernier and Nathan Patterson start together for Rangers for the first time.

Scotland international Patterson replaced Borna Barisic at left-back when the Croatia cap went off through illness in midweek and could play there again in his absence. However, there are hints that Tavernier could be drafted into central defence, with Calvin Bassey moving across to the left.

The other change made by manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst is in-form midfielder Joe Aribo being rested on the bench, with John Lundstram coming in.

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Hearts are without suspended winger Josh Ginnelly, but Northern Ireland right-back Michael Smith returns from the injury that kept him out last weekend - although he is only fit enough to make the bench.

Northern Ireland striker Liam Boyce, a key man for Robbie Neilson's side, is missing up front, which could mean on-loan Liverpool man Ben Woodburn is thrown up front on his return to the side, while midfielder Andy Halliday also comes into the starting line-up.

Dundee manager James McPake was fearful during the week that he could be without around 10 players. He makes just two changes from the midweek loss to Hibs but can only list five players on the bench.

Jason Cummings is ruled out because of a discipline breach, while defender Ryan Sweeney is suspended after his midweek red card.

There were fitness doubts over midfielder Max Anderson and striker Danny Mullen, but both do start. Defender Jordan Marshall, though, doesn't make it.

On-loan striker Leigh Griffiths makes his first start for Dundee since October after a glut of late substitute appearances recently and wide man Christie Elliot also comes into in the first XI.

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Malky Mackay makes three changes to the County team after defeat by Celtic. Harry Paton misses out with injury, while fellow midfielders Joseph Hungbo and Ross Callachan drop to the bench.

David Cancola replaces the latter, Connor Randall comes into defence and striker Jordan White is rewarded for a fine display off the bench against Celtic.

Livingston manager David Martindale is free to take his place in the dugout after a Scottish FA disciplinary hearing following his red card during October's draw with Dundee United was postponed for a second time.

He makes two changes to the team that won against United last weekend. Midfielder Craig Sibbald replaces injured winger Cristian Montano and Andrew Shinnie is in for Bruce Anderson up front.

As you can see from those line-ups, there some interesting team news from both Rangers and Dundee United at Ibrox.

More on that coming up shortly...

Rangers: McGregor, Patterson, Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Kamara, Lundstram, Arfield, Hagi, Kent, Morelos.

Substitutes: McLaughlin, Simpson, King, Aribo, Bacuna, Wright, Sakala.

Dundee United: Carson, Mulgrew, Edwards, McMann, Moore, Sporle, Glass, Mochrie, Meekison, Watson, Clark.

Substitutes: Newman, Chalmers, Hoti, Smith, Appere, Thomson, O'Donnell.

Motherwell: Kelly, O'Donnell, Solhom, Mugabi, McGinley, Goss, Donnelly, Cornelius, Van Veen, Woolery, Watt.

Substitutes: Fox, Carroll, Slattery, Amaluzor, Grimshaw, Roberts, Shields.

St Johnstone: Clark, Gordon, Brown, Booth, Rooney, McCart, Craig, Bryson, Solomon-Otabor, Middleton, May.

Substitutes: Parish, Devine, Dendoncker, Davidson, Butterfield, O'Halloran, Crawford.

Dundee: Legzdins, Kerr, Fontaine, McGhee, Mullen, McGowan, Elliot, McCowan, McMullen, Anderson, Griffiths.

Substitutes: Lawlor, Jakubiak, Panter, Donald, Lamb.

Heart of Midlothian: Gordon, Kingsley, Souttar, Halkett, Haring, Mackay-Steven, Devlin, Moore, Halliday, McKay, Woodburn.

Substitutes: Stewart, Smith, Walker, McEneff, Cochrane, Gnanduillet, Logan.