The bottom two teams in the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership table are set to matchup on Sunday when Kilmarnock host Hibernian at the BBSP Stadium Rugby Park.
The hosts are bottom of the standings and remain the only team yet to take a point in the league, while the visitors have managed just one point from the first three fixtures.
Match preview
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Kilmarnock have experienced a rapid climb up the Scottish football standings in recent years, starting with their Scottish Championship title victory in 2021-22.
They narrowly avoided an instant relegation back into the second division in the following season, finishing 11th in the pre-split table before a positive post-split run of results saw them climb into 10th, avoiding the drop by six points.
Last campaign was undoubtedly the best of the lot, ascending up the table to a surprising fourth-placed finish with 56 points, nine more than fifth-placed St Mirren.
Despite the overwhelmingly positive term, Derek McInnes's side struggled in the post-split fixtures, winning just one of the five matches, losing two and drawing two.
That poor form has continued into this campaign with Kilmarnock enduring a disastrous start to 2024-25, winning just one of their 10 matches across all competitions.
That sole victory came against Tromso IL in the second leg of their third qualifying round tie for the Europa Conference League, winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate, but they have since crashed out of the competition with a 3-1 defeat to Copenhagen in the playoff qualifying round.
Killie remain the only team yet to put a single point on the board in the Scottish Premiership with three defeats from three, while they are also the only team yet to score in the league.
Sunday's match could provide Kilmarnock with the perfect opportunity to take their first points of the season, coming up against a Hibernian side that have also faced difficulties in the opening stages of 2024-25.
Despite enjoying a positive start to the term, winning three of their four Scottish League Cup games, Hibernian have since failed to win in any of their following four outings.
Hibs lost 3-0 to St Mirren in their first league game, followed by 2-0 and 3-1 defeats to Celtic in the league and Scottish League Cup, and most recently drew with Dundee.
The visitors have enjoyed this fixture in the past years, losing just one of the last 13 meetings across all competitions with nine wins in that time.
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Team News
![Hibernian Manager David Gray during the Premier Sports Cup Group C match at Easter Road, Edinburgh UK against Peterhead on July 27, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/31/david-gray.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Hibernian Manager David Gray during the Premier Sports Cup Group C match at Easter Road, Edinburgh UK against Peterhead on July 27, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]")
© Imago
McInnes will be without Brad Lyons after the defender received a red card in the 54th minute of Kilmarnock's 2-0 defeat to Aberdeen in their last league outing.
Elsewhere, Kyle Magennis and Liam Donnelly are both expected to miss Sunday's match due to ongoing injury concerns.
Despite exiting the Europa Conference League with a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Copenhagen, Kilmarnock recorded a 1-1 draw in the second leg in their most recent game, and McInnes could name a similar side for this match.
David Gray will be unable to call upon the services of Thody Elie Youan due to a leg injury, but the midfielder is expected to be the only absentee for the visitors.
Hibs produced a performance full of promising signs in their eventual 2-2 draw with Dundee last weekend, and Gray could opt to name the same side to start here.
Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:
O'Hara; Wright, Mayo, Findlay, Burroughs; Armstrong, Watson, Polworth, Kennedy; Watkins, Vassell
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Bursik; Miller, Ekpiteta, O'Hara, Obita; Kwon, Newell; Boyle, Molotnikov, Cadden; Kukharevych
We say: Kilmarnock 1-1 Hibernian
Both sides have had challenging starts to the 2024-25 season, leaving them rather evenly-matched heading into this one, and we expect Sunday's game will end all square.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
