It's the final round of Scottish Premiership games before a long international break, but who will be left brooding for three weeks and who will head there with the luxury of a confidence boost? There are five top-flight games 24 hours before the top two in the table face off in Sunday's Old Firm derby. Here are the key questions from Saturday's Premiership card.
Listen: Scottish Premiership weekend preview Hibernian go into their game against Aberdeen under a huge cloud after the sacking of David Gray. Tuesday's dismal defeat by Kilmarnock was a drab ending to Gray's tenure as head coach and his 12-year stay at Easter Road but does not affect his legendary status given his exploits as a player. John Potter has been placed in interim charge and must lift a group that has lost three Premiership games on the spin and hope to avoid a club record seventh successive home loss in the league, a run stretching back to last season.
Murmurs of discontent among the fanbase run beyond Gray and the hierarchy will be desperate for a performance and victory amid uncertainty over the long-term direction of the club. Aberdeen will be in no mood to ease Hibs' recent woes. After a similarly difficult start to the season, the Dons progressed to the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup with a penalty shootout win over Kilmarnock before thumping Motherwell 4-0 on Tuesday.
Head coach Stephen Robinson spoke about the growing confidence among his squad and it was evident at Fir Park. Moroccan forward Ayoub Mouloua typified that with his bag of flicks and tricks, and indeed his wonderful goal, and could provide Robinson with an exciting option moving forward. Before the Motherwell win, Aberdeen had gone four league games without a win and without a goal.
They could go as high as fourth with a win on Saturday, which would be a remarkable turnaround for Robinson and his players. Another team whose manager and players had come under serious pressure recently is Kilmarnock, who eased some of the disquiet around Rugby Park with their 1-0 win at Easter Road. Manager Neil McCann bristled after their first league victory of the season, insisting he maintained confidence despite taking one point from their first five outings.
More than the result, it was the performance and the clean sheet that will have heartened McCann. Killie had shipped 14 league goals before their trip to Edinburgh, but they were much improved at the back and, in truth, should have won by a greater margin. If they are to climb off the bottom of the table, they need to back up their midweek win with another three points against opposition from the capital.
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