Dundee are in a race to finish in the top six with Hibs and Motherwell, with other contenders slipping further out of contention.
After surpassing the Dark Blues last weekend, the Hibs are now in the lead.
But Motherwell is a further point behind them, and they are only ahead by one point.
It’s still very much a fight.
It appears difficult for a team outside the top three to enter the race in the late stages, but if Aberdeen can manage to pull together at some point, there is a chance.
But the race is currently between three horses.
How do the Dark Blues match up with Motherwell and Hibs, then? And how do each side’s fixture lists compare?
In their last three games, Dundee has not triumphed. But neither are their competitors in peak form.
Motherwell are only one point behind Hibs with seven points from their last five league games, having won three of those games against the Dee.
Tony Docherty’s team has won two games, defeating Ross County and St Johnstone, to take the lead seven points.
But the other two have the momentum. The Steelmen have won back-to-back games, the last of which was an incredible outcome against Rangers, while the Hibees have not lost in four games.
Dundee has collected 11 points from their three wins, two draws, and five losses since the winter break.
Conversely, Hibs have only managed two victories, three draws, and three losses to earn nine and Motherwell have picked up 12 points with three wins, three draws and three defeats.
The teams’ respective results indicate that there isn’t much of a relationship.
This season, Hibs has defeated Dundee, with the Edinburgh team recording two wins and a goalless draw.
In contrast, there have been two draws in the matches between Motherwell and the Dee, with the visiting team trailing in both instances.
Initially, Lyall Cameron scored a point for Dundee on the first day of play, and then, in December, Conor Wilkinson stole hearts with his late-game equaliser.
To complete the triangle, Motherwell has prevailed in their matches against Hibs thus far this year.
They have won one and drawn the other, with the Steelmen losing both of their games due to an Elie Youan strike in stoppage time.
Motherwell would come in second with six points, followed by Hibs with eight, and Dundee with three, if a mini-table contained only the results between the three teams.
This season, the Dark Blues have not yet defeated either.
In the last two games before the separation, ‘Well play the Dee and Hibs.
With 11 goals this season, Theo Bair has been a revelation for Motherwell.
In his last 12 games, nine of those have occurred. On the first day of the season, he played his debut game for the Steelmen against Dens.
Lennon Miller, too, has been impressive in midfield for the Steelmen while Blair Spittal is in fine form.
Hibs strengthened well in January with new boys Myziane Maolida and Emiliano Marcondes causing Dundee plenty of problems at Easter Road recently.
Those two have continued to impress in games since.
For the Dark Blues, Luke McCowan continues to go from strength to strength and has four goals in his last eight games.
Another diminutive attacker, Scott Tiffoney, has been in form lately while loanees Owen Beck and Aaron Donnelly are ones to watch.
Fixtures
The business end of the season is upon us. Who will come out on top?
Hibs and Dundee each have five games remaining while Motherwell have four.
The Hibees have two home matches, ’Well and the Dee have three each.
Nick Montgomery’s outfit have the best fixture list on paper – they face the bottom two next, a trip to Ross County on Wednesday followed by a home clash against Livingston.
They also host St Johnstone but face a daunting trip to Ibrox.
Dundee also plays struggling Aberdeen twice, once at home and once away, as well as the Perth Saints, but at McDiarmid Park.
They also have Rangers games at home.
Motherwell, on the other hand, has the fewest fixtures yet faces both sides of the table right in front of them.
The Well’s next two home games are against Aberdeen and St. Mirren. After that, they have two games left in their pre-split schedule that will determine who finishes in the top six.
On April 6, they travel to Dens Park, and seven days later, they host Hibs at Fir Park.
Those two games appear to be quite important.
As of right now, Hibs appear to be in the lead and have the most amiable fixture list.
However, the race for the top six will undoubtedly have many more turns and twists.
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