Kelty Hearts' unbeaten record has come to a shuddering halt with a 5-1 thumping at Annan Athletic.

Tony Wallace banged in a late hat-trick for the hosts, while Jordon Forster was sent off for the visitors as the teams left the field at half-time.

Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass tells BBC Sportsound: "Everybody's got their difficulties at the moment. We're not without it ourselves, we're missing a couple of players that we'd rather not be.

"You've got to get on with it. It's a case of trying to win three points, that's my focus today.

"It's almost a first-choice Dundee team that's playing against us today. There are clear limitations on the bench. The risk of us taking our eye off the ball was real and we've focused on that since mid-morning.

"There's no excuses, we need to win this game. This is not a weakened Dundee team. We know the dangers and we know what we need to do to win."

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Hibernian head coach Shaun Maloney: "There's a few things to really try and build on. It's a big game and a big challenge again.

"Paul McGinn got injured against Aberdeen so he's ruled out. Lewis [Stevenson], his profile in that position [centre-back] suits with his technical ability and he's a good one-v-one defender.

"Drey Wright - it wasn't really anything on Scott Allan's performance. I was really pleased with it. But for him not playing any games for a while, asking him to do another one three days later is a big ask.

"Drey's been positive in training and I'm looking forward to seeing him play."

Ross County manager Malky MacKay tells BBC Scotland why he has only named five substitutes.

He said: "We've got one player with Covid and the rest is with injuries."

There hasn't been a home win in any of the last 11 meetings between these sides.

Mackay said: "We know we're playing a good team and we're going to have to perform today. But we're in a good vein of form ourselves."

Dundee manager James McPake tells BBC Sportsound: "We've got a decent enough starting XI, a strong starting XI. We believe we can put a good performance and go away with a positive result.

"We all know what we're going through. I'm astonished, if I'm honest. It is ridiculously poor. It's embarrassing for Scottish football.

"Alex Jakubiak, 12 weeks he's been out, he's played 10 minutes of football. I've gone against surgeons' advice, physios and doctors' advice to even put him on the bench last week. He gave me 10 minutes against Hearts. He now starts today, I'm putting him at risk.

"Jordan Marshall, he's had one day's training, he's a massive player for us, I'm putting him at risk. He wasn't starting today.

"On the bench I've got a young lad who's never played a minute's first team football, I've got a 40-year-old who's played almost 600 games. That's safety in terms of injury.

"It's not sporting integrity. It can't just be black and white. There's got to be a consideration here for people's health. I've got a player in there who, at four o'clock on Thursday morning, his partner gave birth to their second child. He's to go home to that child tonight.

"We've put Aberdeen at risk all for the sake of getting a game of football played. We've got five free midweeks, so have Aberdeen."

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Hearts have 17-year-old goalkeeper Liam McFarlane on the bench.

Boss Robbie Neilson makes three changes from last week's win over Dundee, with defenders Michael Smith and Alex Cochrane starting, while midfielder Aaron McEneff is also in the side after impressing from the bench at Dens Park.

But goal hero Jamie Walker is a substitute again, while Liam Boyce has not been fit enough to make the squad and neither has Cammy Devlin. Gary Mackay-Steven and Stephen Kingsley drop to the bench.

Ross County are only able to name five substitutes and have midweek goalscorer Ross Callachan, captain Keith Watson and goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer among their absentees.

Ross Laidlaw makes his first appearance in goal since September, with defender Connor Randall and forward Dominic Samuel also starting.

Dundee United welcome back two of their more experienced players in goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist and midfielder Ian Harkes.

Both missed the defeat at Ibrox amid a Covid outbreak at the club. Right-back Kieran Freeman is the only other change made by Thomas Courts who was impressed by his young side's display against the champions.

Out go Trevor Carson, Declan Glass, and Craig Moore.

New Hibs boss Shaun Maloney makes two changes from his opening win against Aberdeen. Forward Drey Wright makes only his second start of the season, in place of Scott Allan, and Lewis Stevenson returns in defence for Paul McGinn. Not exactly like-for-like there since that's a left-back for a right-back, so there will likely be a reshuffle at the back.

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Motherwell make two changes to the side that beat St Johnstone last time out with Barry Maguire and Connor Shields coming into Graham Alexander’s starting XI.

Last week's opening goalscorer Dean Cornelius drops out of the matchday squad and top-scorer Tony Watt starts on the bench, amid heightened speculation surrounding his future.

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David Martindale also makes just the two changes as Sean Kelly and Jackson Longridge come into the Livingston starting line-up.

Jack McMillan drops to the bench and Nicky Devlin is suspended.

Assistant manager Marvin Bartley is amongst the subs.

Aberdeen make three changes for today's visit of depleted Dundee, with Calvin Ramsay, Ross McCrorie and Teddy Jenks coming in for Declan Gallagher, Dean Campbell and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.

Unsurprisingly, there are four alterations for the visitors amid their Covid problems. Ryan Sweeney, Jordan Marshall, Corey Panter and Alex Jakubiak come into the starting line-up as Christie Elliott, Paul McMullan, Max Anderson and Danny Mullen drop out.

As well as 40-year-old assistant manager Dave MacKay, Dundee have 17-year-old Callum Lamb among the substitutes.

Manager James McPake is not happy at all after a late request to postpone the game was denied. We'll hear from him in a bit...

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Giovanni van Bronckhorst has made two changes to the Rangers side that edged out Dundee United last weekend.

Influential midfielder Joe Aribo is recalled and left-back Borna Barisic returns, with Scott Arfield and Nathan Patterson replaced.

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St Mirren are boosted by the return of some key players after suffering a Covid outbreak.

Keeper Dean Lyness drops out after a fine display in the 0-0 draw with Celtic in midweek as first-choice Jak Alnwick comes in.

Teenagers Dylan Reid and Kieran Offord also make way, along with Greg Kiltie and Matt Millar, as recognised midfield quartet Jamie McGrath, Ethan Erhahon, Ryan Flynn and Alan Power return.

Dundee United: Siegrist, Freeman, Edwards, Mulgrew, McMann, Harkes, Mochrie, Meekison, Sporle, Watson, Clark.

Substitutes: Newman, Niskanen, Chalmers, Hoti, Neilson, Glass, Smith.

Hibernian: Macey, Porteous, Hanlon, Stevenson, Cadden, Doyle-Hayes, Campbell, Doig, Wright, Boyle, Nisbet.

Substitutes: Dabrowski, Doidge, Murphy, Hallberg, Allan, McGregor, Scott.

Hearts: Gordon, Smith, Halkett, Souttar, Cochrane, Haring, McEneff, Moore, Halliday, McKay, Woodburn.

Substitutes: McFarlane, Kingsley, Walker, Mackay-Steven, Gnanduillet, Logan.

Ross County: Laidlaw, Randall, Clarke, Vokins, Cancola, Baldwin, Spittal, D.Samuel, Charles-Cook, Hungbo, White.

Substitutes: A.Samuel, Burroughs, B.Paton, Donaldson, Munro.

Motherwell: Kelly, O'Donnell, Solholm, Mugabi, McGinley, Goss, Maguire, Donnelly, Shields, Woolery, Van Veen

Substitutes: Fox, Ojala, Amaluzor, Crawford, Grimshaw, Roberts, Watt

Livingston: Stryjek, Fitzwater, Obileye, Longridge, Sibbald, Holt, Kelly, Omeonga, Penrice, Shinnie, Forrest.

Substitutes: Maley, Bartley, McMillan, Panayiotou, Anderson, Hamilton.

Aberdeen: Lewis, Ramsay, Bates, McCrorie, Hayes, Ojo, Jenks, Ferguson, Hedges, Watkins, Ramirez.

Substitutes: Woods, Gallagher, McGinn, Emmanuel-Thomas, McLennan, Campbell, Samuels.

Dundee: Legzdins, Kerr, Sweeney, Fontaine, Marshall, McCowan, Panter, McGhee, McGowan, Jakubiak, Griffiths.

Substitutes: Lawlor, Sharp, Lamb, MacKay.

Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic, Kamara, Aribo, Hagi, Wright, Kent, Morelos.

Substitutes: McLaughlin, Simpson, Patterson, Davis, Bacuna, Arfield, Sakala.

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, Shaughnessy, Dunne, Tanser, Henderson, Power, Flynn, Erhahon, McGrath, Main.

Substitutes: Lyness, Millar, Reid, Kiltie, Offord, Dennis, Erwin.

Now for a blizzard of line-ups and team news for the 15:00 kick-offs.

A few unfamiliar names and some empty spaces on benches as Covid takes its toll.

Celtic return to winning ways after a very comfortable afternoon in Perth. Liel Abada scored twice in the first half and Israel team-mate Nir Bitton added to the tally after an impressive header from Chris Kane had reduced the deficit.

St Johnstone remain rooted to the bottom of the table after an eighth consecutive defeat.

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Into two minutes of stoppage time...

Pat Bonner
Former Celtic goalkeeper on BBC Sportsound