Two teams at opposite ends of the Scottish Premiership will meet on Saturday when third-placed Aberdeen welcomes Dundee United to the Pittodrie Stadium.
The visitors find themselves in the relegation zone right now, and will be desperate to get themselves out of that section before the upcoming break as the World Cup commences.
Match preview
Aberdeen might be sat in third place at the moment, but they head into Saturday's game on the back of a defeat against Livingston.
The Dons were beaten 2-1, with the two goals that they conceded in the opening 20 minutes proving to be too much for the team to get back into the game.
That result was the third time that Aberdeen have lost in their previous six league matches, with the need for consistency being clear for them.
Lee Sharp's men already trail Rangers by 10 points, with an even larger gap existing between them and the current league leaders Celtic.
Three points before the upcoming World Cup break could be crucial for Aberdeen as they look to continue putting pressure on the Old Firm rivals.
The biggest problem that the visitors have been dealing with this season is at the back because no team in the league has conceded more than their 30 goals at this stage.
Despite those issues Dundee United actually managed to keep a clean sheet in their most recent match, while they found the back of the net four times in the process.
The 4-0 win against Kilmarnock helped the rise off the foot of the table, and the fact they had four completely different goalscorers showcased the attacking qualities that the team do have.
However, right now the Terrors are level on points with Kilmarnock and three points adrift of safety, which is something that they will be pushing to achieve before the upcoming break.
Performances away from home have left a lot to be desired for Dundee United so far as they have failed to win a game on the road this season, which they will push to change on Saturday.
Team News
Luis Lopes was able to get on the scoresheet last weekend despite their 1-0 loss, and he is expected to be leading the line again alongside Bojan Miovski.
Jonny Hayes is unavailable at the moment due to a groin problem while Callum Roberts is also on the sidelines with a hamstring issue.
The visitors put out their strongest performance of the season last week, and after a 4-0 win there is a chance that Dundee United will opt to have the exact same starting XI.
Trying to build momentum from the win against Kilmarnock would be a wise move for the team right now, with Steven Fletcher likely continuing to work as a lone striker.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Roos; McCrorie, Stewart, Scales; Richardson, Barron, Ramadani, Clarkson, Coulson; Lopes, Miovski
Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Birighitti; Smith, Edwards, Graham; Freeman, Djoum, Levitt, Behich; McGrath, Middleton; Fletcher
We say: Aberdeen 2-0 Dundee United
Dundee United might be coming into this game on the back of a 4-0 victory that will have provided plenty of confidence to the team, but this will be a tough test.
Aberdeen have proven themselves to be one of the strongest units in the league to this point, and they should have enough for another win on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
body check tags ::
Previews by email
