Two of the Scottish Premiership's mid-table clubs will meet on Saturday as St Mirren make the trip to play Hibernian, looking to potentially break into the top four.
Pushing that high is not a possibility right now for the hosts, who will simply be concentrating on ending their five-match run without a win in the league.
Match preview
With six victories, eight draws and as many defeats so far in the league, consistency has been a big problem for Hibernian which is reflected by their current position in the table.
Sitting in eighth place, and only five points above the relegation zone, the Hibees will have one eye on what is happening below them which is what makes each game important at the moment.
Hibernian have failed to win any of their previous five matches in the Scottish Premiership, with the recent slump in form placing pressure on the team as they have been dropping down the table.
While Nick Montgomery's men recently secured a victory in the Scottish League Cup, that was followed by a defeat against Rangers and a draw with Kilmarnock.
The latter was a frustrating result for Hibernian considering their opponents only had 10 men for the final 20 minutes, but they will have taken positives from the fact they came from two goals down to earn a point.
The visitors also need to get back to winning ways after consecutive defeats in the Scottish Premiership as they failed to land a glove on either of the Old Firm rivals in their most recent outings.
Despite the lack of goals or points in those matches, St Mirren are still in touching distance of a European place at the moment as a victory this weekend could see the club move into fourth place.
The Buddies do have some work to do in terms of closing the gap between them and Kilmarnock when it comes to goal difference, though, and after scoring in just two of their previous six matches in all competitions, the pressure is on the attackers.
However, there has been no shortage of goals when it comes to recent matches between these two teams as Hibernian won 4-2 when they met in the Scottish League Cup, while their previous league encounter this season ended as a 2-2 draw.
With St Mirren having failed to defeat Hibernian, the team will be out to prove they are capable of securing a result against the Hibees this time out.
Team News
Hibernian's decision to be active in the transfer market is sure to impact the starting lineup this weekend, with Jimmy Jeggo departing the club to join Melbourne City, while Christian Doidge has also left after 148 appearances for the club.
However, the Hibees have brought in Nectarios Triantis on loan from Sunderland in a bid to tighten things up at the back, but it remains to be seen whether he will be immediately brought into the team.
The hosts will still be without Rocky Bushiri as DR Congo are still competing at the Africa Cup Of Nations, while Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller are competing in the Asian Cup for Australia, stretching the team even further.
St Mirren's new signings Jaden Brown and James Scott were only able to feature on the bench in their most recent game, but after settling in, both men could be in contention to play from the first whistle.
Steve Robinson was able to call upon the services of Mark O'Hara once again for the defeat against Rangers following a calf problem, and he is expected to retain his place in the team.
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Megwa, Triantis, Stevenson, Obita; Marcondes, Levitt, Newell, Tavares; Maolida, Vente
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Hemming; Bolton, Gogic, Taylor; Fraser, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, Kiltie, Tanser; Ayunga, Mandron
We say: Hibernian 1-2 St Mirren
Hibernian are in the midst of a difficult run, and while playing at home might provide them with one advantage for this weekend, it is unlikely to be a difference-maker.
Considering St Mirren are knocking on the door of European places at the moment, they should have enough quality to continue pushing on and take all three points.
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