In their 22nd match in the Scottish Premiership, Kilmarnock will welcome Ross County to Rugby Park on Sunday in a bottom-half clash.
The home team are eighth with 24 points and are three points and two places from the championship playoff spots, while the visitors are third last in 10th place with 22 points but beat Aberdeen 2-1 on Thursday.
Match preview
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Kilmarnock emerged as 2-0 victors against St Mirren on January 2, a match in which they prevented their opponents from producing a shot on target in the first half and faced just 0.16 xG.
Manager Derek McInnes admitted that his side could have played better but told reporters that his team did not need to be at their best, saying: "We didn't need to be brilliant today, we just needed to be really responsible. We scored good goals at good times and our overall play merited the win."
The hosts will be hoping for revenge on Sunday given they went down 2-1 against Ross County in the league on October 26, a game that they lost in the 82nd minute when Joseph Wright scored an own goal.
McInnes's side are in good form considering they have lost just once in their six most recent outings, winning three while netting nine goals and only conceding on three occasions.
Kilmarnock have also won each of their last three home games by a cumulative score of 7-0 and have been defeated in just two of their 12 matches at Rugby Park this term.
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As for Ross County, they had to survive a second-half onslaught from Aberdeen, who produced all three of their big chances after the interval.
Head coach Don Cowie will have been delighted with the victory given the club have now picked up seven points in their last three league games, more than they had earned in the prior eight matches.
Cowie's side are unbeaten in their last three games – losing the previous four fixtures - but it should be noted that their record of seven goals scored in their past three is as many as they had scored in their prior 11.
The Staggies' have conceded 38 times in the top flight, and this makes them the division's second-worst defensive team.
Fans of the visitors will perhaps feel more confident that their team can achieve a positive result considering they have triumphed in their two most recent fixtures on the road, whereas they had failed to win any of the previous nine away games, succumbing to defeat on six occasions.
Team News
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The hosts will be without defender Stuart Findlay until late January, while forward Kyle Vassell is feared to have picked up a serious injury against St Mirren.
Lewis Mayo and Corrie Ndaba played as full-backs last time out, and the duo are likely to flank centre-backs Joe Wright and Robbie Deas.
In attack, Bruce Anderson started in a front two with Vassell, but the team could switch to a 4-3-3 formation and have Fraser Murray and Bobby Wales flank Anderson.
Meanwhile, Ross County have concerns about the availability of defenders Elijah Campbell and Will Nightingale, as well as Ryan Leak, who was forced off due to injury against Aberdeen.
Centre-backs Akil Wright, Kacper Lopata and Ricki Lamie could start in front of goalkeeper Jordan Amissah given shot-stopper Ross Laidlaw has been ruled out.
The visitors will not be able to select forward Alex Samuel, so expect Noah Chilvers to support striker Jordan White.
Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:
McCrorie; Mayo, J Wright, Deas, Ndaba; Lyons, Polworth, Magennis; Murray, Anderson, Wales
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Amissah; A Wright, Lopata, Lamie; Brown, Kenneh, Randall, Nisbet, Harmon; Chilvers, White
We say: Kilmarnock 2-1 Ross County
Kilmarnock's strong home record in recent weeks should mean they come into Sunday's clash full of confidence.
However, Ross County are likely to pose a serious challenge to the hosts considering their improved form, and it would not be surprising if the match was only won in the latter stages.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
