A festive feast of Scottish football continues with a full card of Premiership games on Wednesday.
There are plenty of winter tales behind the six fixtures and here is a selection of what to look out for…
Game of midweek: Dundee United v Ross County
Hibernian versus Celtic is always a big game, even when one of the teams is under-performing – as is the case with the seventh-placed Edinburgh side. However, Easter Road – where Celtic have only won once in their last six visits – remains one of the few venues where you could imagine Ange Postecoglou’s relentless leaders dropping points other than in Old Firm derbies.
However, the result on the same evening at Tannadice is arguably of greater significance considering the home side’s precarious position at the foot of the table.
Should Dundee United lose, Ross County will move five points clear of their hosts and deliver a significant blow even if the battle to avoid relegation – which could also involve Motherwell and Kilmarnock – has yet to reach the halfway stage.
United were only denied all three points by Heart of Midlothian on Saturday thanks to Lawrence Shankland’s late penalty.
However, while they will take confidence from a gritty performance against the side sitting fourth, they have still only won once in eight outings, the initial improvement in results after Liam Fox took over from Jack Ross as head coach being now a distant memory.
That said, of United’s five most recent defeats, only one was by more than a single goal – and even then they looked like leaving Celtic Park with a surprise point before conceding twice in stoppage time.
While Malky Mackay’s side arrive on the back of three consecutive losses, those too were by just a one-goal margin – and two were against the Old Firm.
Although United are unbeaten in five against County since a 2-0 defeat at home in May 2021, October’s 1-1 draw in Dingwall suggests we are in for another tight contest with so much at stake.
Player to watch: Zander Clark (Heart of Midlothian)
It will not be the circumstances he would have chosen, but Zander Clark will be thrust into the spotlight following Saturday’s horrific leg break suffered by Hearts and Scotland number one Craig Gordon.
Clark went from first choice at St Johnstone and national squad member to back-up at Tynecastle when an expected move to English football failed to materialise after the 30-year-old rejected a new contract in Perth.
Having made his debut in the final 15 minutes at Tynecastle as Hearts came from 2-1 down to draw, he is poised for his first start on Wednesday. And, as the football gods so often have it, it comes back at McDiarmid Park against the side he served for 11 years.
Since the uncapped Clark pulled out of Steve Clarke’s national squad in June because he was due to get married, he has found himself behind Motherwell’s Liam Kelly and Rangers back-up pair Jon McLaughlin and Robby McCrorie as Gordon’s understudies.
Now, with his club captain ruled out for the rest of the season, Clark not only has the chance to justify Hearts’ decision to recruit such an experienced back-up and help Robbie Neilson’s side qualify again for Europe but also attempt to secure a return to the Scotland squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain in March.
Manager spotlight: Steven Hammell (Motherwell)
Steven Hammell’s honeymoon period as Motherwell manager is well and truly over.
The 40-year-old former left-back will be granted some extra leeway by Fir Park fans given his status as a club legend and he can point to two successive draws as hints that his side are improving.
However, losing a two-goal lead to 10-man Kilmarnock on Saturday shows a continuing fragility.
The Fir Park side have now only won once in their last nine outings and are just five points clear of bottom side Dundee United and three ahead of Ross County in the relegation play-off spot.
It is a far cry from the four wins out of six at the start of Hammell’s tenure after taking over from Graham Alexander following their disappointing Europa Conference League qualifying loss to Sligo Rovers.
Improving on a 31% win rate under Hammell is a big ask in the short term considering they visit second-top Rangers on Wednesday. Although they have drawn on their last two visits to Ibrox, they have not won there in nine visits since a famous Premiership play-off success in May 2015.
Heading to Livingston on 2 January will not be easy either – and his first full transfer window in charge could be vital to his team’s chances of avoiding the drop.
