Dundee will host Aberdeen on Saturday as they continue to try and push away from the foot of the table, with the Dark Blues currently bottom, without a win in seven matches.
Meanwhile, the visitors are coming into this one off the back of a victory prior to the international break, which is momentum they will be aiming to continue.
Match preview
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Dundee have had a difficult season up until this point, which is reflected in their position at the bottom of the league, but the squad are still set to continue fighting in each match.
The Dark Blues have not won in their previous seven outings, gaining just two draws within that period as well, which has added serious pressure onto them.
Right now the club are four points adrift of St Johnstone, who occupy the relegation playoff position, and a victory is needed to start pushing towards them.
Dundee were defeated by Rangers prior to the recent international break, despite the fact that they took the lead in the sixth minute through Christie Elliott, but they could not hold on, eventually losing 2-1.
The Dark Blues have the worst home record in the division this season, winning just three of their 16 matches, but they might take confidence from the fact that Aberdeen have struggled in away games.
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Indeed, only Dundee themselves have been worse than the Dons on the road this season, with the visitors having only managed two wins outside of their own ground in this campaign.
When they traveled to Dens Park back in October it was the home side who took the victory, with goals from Leigh Griffiths and Luke McGowan securing the 2-1 win.
However, Aberdeen were able to get some revenge in the reverse fixture with a win by the same score thanks to Christian Ramirez and Lewis Ferguson, making this a true rubber match between the teams.
The Dons have created an eight-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone, providing a nice cushion for them, but they will be wanting to extend that this weekend.
Jim Goodwin's men were able to secure three points in their most recent outing against Hibernian with a brace from Ferguson and a goal by Vicente Besuijen wrapping up the 3-1 win.
That result gave Aberdeen a long overdue first league win of 2022, ending a 10-match streak without victory in the process.
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Team News
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Lee Ashcroft and Danny Mullen were both unable to feature during Dundee's previous outing due to fitness issues, which is something that could prove to be a problem once again.
The club will be hoping that the international break will have helped in terms of fitness, but the squad will likely feature five at the back again, as the Dark Blues continue to look for defensive stability.
For the visitors, Ferguson is sure to play after impressing during his recent performances, particularly after scoring a brace in their most recent outing.
Andy Considine was back in the squad before the international break as an unused substitute, but he could be fit enough to gain some minutes here, while Marley Watkins could also be an option from the start this time.
Mikey Devlin and Matty Kennedy are two players who are working their way back to full fitness, and the time off will have done them some good on their journey to recovery.
Dundee possible starting lineup:
Lawlor; Elliot, Kerr, McGhee, Sweeney, Marshall; McMullan, Byrne, McGowan, McDaid; Rudden
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Ramsay, Gallagher, Bates, Hayes; Barron, Besuijen, McCrorie, Ferguson, McLennan; Ramirez
We say: Dundee 1-1 Aberdeen
Both teams are in weak form overall right now, and this match brings a team that struggle at home, and one that does not perform on the road together, which is something that could lead to a close match.
A draw is not an ideal result for either right now, but that could end up taking place in a low-scoring contest, simply down to the lack of confidence each squad has.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Aberdeen win with a probability of 44.89%. A win for Dundee had a probability of 28.87% and a draw had a probability of 26.2%.
The most likely scoreline for an Aberdeen win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.29%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.01%) and 0-2 (8.16%). The likeliest Dundee win was 1-0 (8.63%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.47%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a draw in this match.
