With just two pre-split fixtures to go, just who is in the driving seat to finish in the coveted European places? With the fixture computer yet to churn out the final five for each club, it remains to be seen who’ll have the advantage in the business end of the season.
Kilmarnock
Thanks to weekend results, it’s Steve Clarke’s Killie who sit third. Currently the best of the rest outside the Old Firm, the Ayrshire side travel to the capital to take on Hibernian at Easter Road in midweek and host St Johnstone at the weekend.
Steve Clarke has Killie dreaming of a Europa League spot. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
A ruthless 5-0 battering of Hamilton Accies is the perfect way to set themselves up for a tricky trip to Edinburgh. They face one of the most in-form teams in the division midweek, Hibernian, who’ve found a new lease of life under Paul Heckingbottom. Five different scorers on Saturday proves Killie have got strength in depth and are a match for anyone on their day.
Aberdeen
Derek McInnes’ Dons may have slipped to fourth but they’ll see their pre-split fixtures as good opportunities to reassert their European ambitions. The Dons’ quest for second took a big blow at the weekend with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of fellow European hopefuls Hearts at Tynecastle.
The Dons took the lead in Edinburgh but succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Hearts. (photo by Alan Rennie/Action Plus via Getty Images)
However, they host Motherwell at Pittodrie in midweek before travelling to basement boys Dundee at the weekend. With two losses and two draws in their last four league matches, their horrid form of late (particularly at Pittodrie) will have to come to an end soon.
Heart of Midlothian
Craig Levein’s Hearts registered a massive morale-boosting victory over Aberdeen in the capital on Saturday. Now just two points behind the Dons and four off third-placed Kilmarnock, they’re in the middle of a massive few weeks that will ultimately define their season.
Goals are all that had been missing from Uche Ikpeazu’s game until recently. (photo by Alan Rennie/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Rangers at Ibrox is a tricky test midweek before an Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle on Saturday lunchtime. With Uche Ikpeazu and Sean Clare having both grabbed two goals each in their last three games, don’t be surprised if the duo are the main men to help Hearts into Europe.
Hibernian
Everyone seems to be running out of superlatives to throw at Heckingbottom’s Hibs. With 16 points from their last six games under the new manager, the only two points dropped so far were at home to Rangers.
Only table-topping Celtic have taken as many points as Hibs have in their last six league matches. (photo by Alan Rennie/Action Plus via Getty Images)
If they can take something from both Killie at home and Hearts away, then the superlatives shall continue to arrive. The consolation if they don’t is that there’s still the five post-split fixtures to come and Hibs have proved they’ve got it in them to beat anyone in the division.
With six points separating third place from sixth, the European race looks to be heading down to the wire. With even more tasty fixtures to come, every point at this stage of the season is of vital importance.