Relegation-threatened Kilmarnock host Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday evening, hoping to claim all three points and climb out of the bottom two.

Meanwhile, the Tangerines have now avoided relegation and will be looking to secure their third successive top-flight victory for the first time in over seven years.

Match preview

Kilmarnock progressed from the fourth round of the Scottish Cup last weekend, after beating League One side Montrose 3-1 at Rugby Park.

Strikes from Kyle Lafferty and Greg Kiltie as well as an own goal from Andrew Steeves secured the win for Tommy Wright's side, who will now face St Mirren in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

As much as Kilmarnock would like to continue their cup run, survival in the Scottish Premiership remains their priority, with the East Ayrshire outfit currently sitting inside the bottom two.

Claiming four points from their last two league matches has given Killie hope that they can avoid the drop, and securing three more precious points on Wednesday would provide a massive boost heading into the final three matches of the campaign.

Kilmarnock have struggled to keep the ball out of their net since the turn of the year, conceding in each of their last 12 top-flight matches and winning only one of these games.

Fortunately for Wright's men, they face a Dundee United side who are one of the lowest scoring teams in the division, as only Ross County (28) have scored fewer than the Tangerines (30) this season.

Dundee United were able to find the net last weekend, as they secured a narrow 1-0 victory over League One outfit Forfar in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

Peter Pawlett's low-driven strike from the edge of the penalty area was enough to send the Tangerines into the quarter-finals, where they will face Aberdeen on Saturday.

Unlike Kilmarnock, Micky Mellon's side have no concerns about relegation and they are now mathematically safe, after their 1-0 victory over basement club Hamilton Academical just over a week ago.

Dundee United have already played twice at Rugby Park this season, although they have not had any success so far, losing 4-0 back in August before drawing 1-1 in February. Their last victory in the top flight away at Kilmarnock was a 4-2 win back in May 2016.

The Tangerines head into this game having won their last two league matches, and securing three more points on Wednesday would see them win three successive top-flight games for the first time since March 2014.

Team News

Kilmarnock could see full-backs Aaron McGowan and Brandon Haunstrup return to the side at the expense of Ross Millen and Calum Waters, while experienced midfielder Gary Dicker could also be recalled to the first XI, with one of Youssouf Mulumbu or Alan Power dropping to the bench.

Goalkeeper Colin Doyle has started all 10 games since Wright took charge in February and is expected to keep his place in the team ahead of Danny Rogers.

Dundee United defender Declan Glass remains out with a knee problem, while goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist is doubtful with a hand injury that he picked up during the warm-up before the match against Forfar last weekend.

Deniz Mehmet stepped in to start at the last minute and he is likely to keep his place if Siegrist is not deemed fit to play.

Lawrence Shankland and Marc McNulty are set to partner each other once again in attack, with Nicky Clark to start in behind. These three forwards have scored 18 of Dundee United's 30 top-flight goals between them this season.

Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:
Doyle; McGowan, Broadfoot, Medley, Haunstrup; Burke, Power, Dicker, Pinnock; Kiltie, Lafferty

Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Mehmet; Smith, Edwards, Reynolds, Robson; Fuchs, Butcher, Sprole; Clark; Shankland, McNulty

We say: Kilmarnock 0-1 Dundee United

The last time Kilmarnock failed to score at home against Dundee United in the top-flight was back in November 2009. However, the visitors have recently developed a strong backline, keeping clean sheets in four of their last five matches in all competitions.

The Tangerines are in better form heading into Wednesday's match and we feel that they will just edge what is expected to be a closely-fought contest at Rugby Park.

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