The SPFL is preparing for the most dramatic pre-split weekend ever as seven teams in the cinch Premiership compete for the three remaining top-six slots.
Every team from Dundee United, currently in fourth spot on 40 points, down to St Mirren, who are in 10th place on 36 points, are still in contention in the top-six race ahead of the final round of pre-split fixtures.
The last two top-six spots are currently taken by Motherwell, who sit in fifth place on 39 points, followed by Hibernian in sixth place on 38 points.
Ross County in seventh and Livingston in eighth both have 37 points, followed by Aberdeen in ninth on 36 points, with St Mirren also on the same points total in 10th place.
The Edinburgh derby and the Dundee derby are among the five games kicking off at 3.00pm on Saturday that will impact which teams make the top six.
Aberdeen v Ross County and Livingston v Motherwell both feature two clubs competing to make the top six. Celtic v St Johnstone is the only match that day that doesn’t involve a team that has yet to confirm which side of the split it will play in.
St Mirren host Rangers at 12 noon on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, and it is possible they could still be in the running for a top-six place by the time the match kicks off, depending on the previous afternoon’s results.
If the clubs finishing in sixth and seventh place have equal points and goal difference, the club with the most goals scored will finish in the higher position.
The three clubs in fourth, fifth and sixth spots after this weekend’s fixtures will join Celtic, Rangers and Heart of Midlothian in the top six, while the four clubs missing out will join St Johnstone and Dundee in the bottom six.
The post-split fixture list will then be announced during a two-week break in cinch Premiership matches for the Scottish Cup semi-finals, with fixture round 34 taking place on
the weekend of 23/24 April.
Calum Beattie, Company Secretary & Director of Operations, said: “It’s often the case that not every top-six place is confirmed until the final pre-split weekend, but having seven teams compete for just three positions is unprecedented.
“The fact that we have an Edinburgh derby and Dundee derby taking place that day just adds to the drama of the occasion.
“It again shows why the split has become such an exciting addition to our game since it was introduced over 20 years ago in season 2000/01.
“Clearly, given there are so many different permutations going into the weekend, this may result in a slight delay to the publication of the post-split fixtures. We will be working hard on these and will make an announcement as soon as possible next week.
“We hope that fans enjoy this round of fixtures, given there is so much to play for, and wish all 12 cinch Premiership clubs the very best of luck this weekend, and for the rest of the season.”
The schedule for the post-split fixtures is below:
Fixture round 34
Weekend of April 23/24
Fixture round 35
Weekend of April 30/May 1
Fixture round 36
Weekend of May 7/8
Fixture round 37
Midweek of May 10/11
Fixture round 38
Weekend of May 14/15
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