Looking to end a three-game winless run in the league, top-six hopefuls Dundee will welcome managerless Aberdeen to the Scot Foam Stadium at Dens Park on Wednesday night in the Scottish Premiership.
The Dark Blues were denied a win against Kilmarnock by a last-minute equaliser over a week ago, whilst the Dons secured a place in the last four of the Scottish Cup on the weekend.
Match preview
Following back-to-back away defeats in the Scottish Premiership to Hibernian and title-chasing Celtic - in which Dundee conceded nine goals - the Dark Blues picked up their maiden point of March last time out, sharing the spoils from a four-goal thriller with an in-form Kilmarnock side at Dens Park.
Tony Docherty's men were ahead in the contest twice courtesy of a Will Dennis own goal and Luke McCowan's seventh of the Premiership term, but the hosts were pegged back on two occasions, with centre-back Robbie Deas netting a 91st-minute equaliser for the visitors.
Having now won just four league contests since the beginning of December, last season's Scottish Championship winners have dropped out of the top six for the first time in over a month, with Wednesday's hosts now a point behind sixth-placed Hibernian and eight behind Kilmarnock in fifth.
Enjoying a run in the XI following a number of injury issues in recent times, Scott Tiffoney was influential in both of the Dark Blues' goals last time out and netted a brace in his side's most-recent Premiership success as Docherty's charges defeated relegation-threatened Ross County 2-0 on February 17.
The form of the 25-year-old and Curtis Main has kept Burnley loanee Michael Mellon on the bench in the past few weeks, despite the Clarets youngster scoring 13 goals for Morecambe in League Two during the first part of the campaign, earning him a loan switch to Dens Park for the remainder of the season.
After just 33 days and eight matches in charge, the curtain has fallen on Neil Warnock's short-lived spell in the managerial hotseat at Pittodrie Stadium, with the highly-experienced coach guiding Aberdeen to a 3-1 win over Kilmarnock in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup during his final match on the weekend.
The 75-year-old replaced Barry Robson in February but did not manage to earn a win in six Premiership matches, with the Dons' only points during that period arriving from home clashes against Motherwell and Hibernian, meaning that interim coach Peter Leven has plenty of work on his hands to steer the club away from danger.
Despite a faltering season in the league, Aberdeen are two victories away from their first major honour since 2014 after beating Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup on Saturday afternoon, with strikes from Jamie McGrath, Graeme Shinnie and an own goal from Stuart Findlay securing a berth in the semi-finals.
There is a consensus that a massive overhaul is required at Pittodrie in the summer in order to get the Dons fighting at the right end of the division again, with Leven's men currently occupying 10th in the Premiership standings, possessing a four-point buffer over Ross County in 11th.
One player who Aberdeen will be desperate to keep hold of amid their summer clearout is North Macedonia's Bojan Miovski, but after firing in 40 goals in 85 appearances since arriving during the summer of 2022, the 24-year-old has attracted interest from the likes of Southampton and Celtic.
Team News
After missing the draw to Kilmarnock due to a knee injury, Trevor Carson is available to regain his spot in between the sticks for Dundee on Wednesday night.
Despite this, the Northern Irishman may be restricted to the substitutes bench by Norwich City loanee Jon McCracken, who impressed in the 36-year-old's absence on the weekend.
Burnley loanee Owen Dodgson could start at left wing-back at the expense of Owen Beck, whilst former Walsall striker Amadou Bakayoko and Mellon will be pushing for starts in attack.
Aberdeen captain Shinnie will miss his side's semi-final clash in the Scottish Cup after picking up a caution on the weekend, but he is available for selection for the trip to Dens Park.
Brought in on the advice of former boss Warnock, Junior Hoilett has worked his way into the Dons' starting XI in recent matches ahead of fellow attackers Duk and Ester Sokler.
Leven's men remain without the services of an influential figure in defence, with centre-back Slobodan Rubezic still recovering from a knee injury sustained in January.
Dundee possible starting lineup:
Carson; Portales, Shaughnessy, Donnelly; McCowan, Mulligan, Sylla, Cameron, Beck; Main, Tiffoney
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Roos; Devlin, Gartenmann, MacDonald, MacKenzie; Phillips, Barron; McGrath, Shinnie, Hoilett; Miovski
We say: Dundee 2-1 Aberdeen
After being afforded an extended break following the draw against Kilmarnock, Dundee should be raring to get their top-six goals back on track with a win at Dens Park on Wednesday.
Aberdeen are a club in transition following the departure of Warnock on the weekend, and we feel that the Dons could struggle on the road in this one.
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