With Aberdeen having a week off, the rest of the teams in the Scottish Premiership have a prime opportunity to close the gap on the top three. Here’s the latest team news ahead of the weekend’s fixtures:
Hibernian vs Ross County
Hibernian will be without forward Mykola Kuharevich, who is sidelined with a groin strain. Additionally, Kieron Bowie and Marvin Ekpiteta, both dealing with longer-term injuries, remain unavailable.
For Ross County, there is some positive news as several players have returned to training. Aidan Denholm, the midfielder on loan from Heart of Midlothian, Barnsley loanee Kacper Lopata, centre-back Ricki Lamie, and midfielder Max Sheaf will all undergo assessment ahead of the match. However, defender Will Nightingale is still behind in his recovery and does not expect to return to full training until later in the month.
Motherwell vs Dundee United
Motherwell striker Tony Watt will miss the match against his parent club, Dundee United, while right-back Stephen O’Donnell has regained fitness and is ready to start following a hamstring injury. However, several other players remain unavailable, including Tom Sparrow, Ross Callachan, Paul McGinn, Callum Slattery, Jack Vale, and Zach Robinson.
Dundee United will be without Will Ferry, who is serving a suspension, but there is hope for an immediate return for wide player Kristijan Trapanovski, who has rejoined training. Ross Docherty and Craig Sibbald will also miss out due to injury.
St Johnstone vs St Mirren
St Johnstone will have centre-back Bozo Mikulic and Andre Raymond available for selection, but left-back Barry Douglas is still out, as are long-term absentees Uche Ikpeazu, Cammy MacPherson, and Sam McClelland.
For St Mirren, centre-back Alex Iacovitti may return after recovering from injury, but the team will be without the suspended Alex Gogic and defender Charles Dunne, who is still struggling with a hamstring problem.
Kilmarnock vs Heart of Midlothian (Sunday)
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes is hopeful that winger Matty Kennedy, midfielder Liam Donnelly, and goalkeeper Robby McCrorie will be available for selection. The only player confirmed as unavailable is long-term absentee Stuart Findlay.
Heart of Midlothian will be missing striker and captain Lawrence Shankland, who is suspended. Centre-back Frankie Kent is also a major doubt after aggravating a quad injury in the match against Copenhagen. Midfielder Beni Baningime is doubtful, while defenders Stephen Kingsley and midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof remain sidelined with hamstring injuries.
As these teams prepare for the weekend’s fixtures, injuries and suspensions will certainly play a role in shaping the matchups.
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