Hibernian make the trip to Dingwall this weekend to face Ross County and the Leith side will be looking to get back to winning ways after a poor couple of results.

The Staggies now have a three-point cushion between them and the relegation zone of the Scottish Premiership and they will want to improve on that this weekend.

Match preview

Ross County head into this game on the back of a 3-2 home win to Kilmarnock, but John Hughes's side have found consistency a problem in recent weeks.

In their four games in February, the Staggies managed to win 2-1 at Hamilton Academical and beat Celtic 1-0 in Dingwall.

They also lost 2-0 at home to Dundee United, though, and were beaten 1-0 by St Mirren in Paisley.

There is one game left before the Premiership splits into two, so a victory on Saturday would give Hughes's side a real boost heading into the business end of the season.

Hughes talked about mental strength in his comments to the press in the wake of the victory over Kilmarnock.

He believes that his team have it, but they will need to dig deep into their reserves if they are to ensure their Premiership survival.

Hibernian look pretty comfortable in third place in the table, three points ahead of fourth-placed Aberdeen with a game in hand.

They have lost their last two games, though, 2-0 at home to Motherwell and 1-0 to St Johnstone in Perth last weekend.

Manager Jack Ross is probably grateful for the current tribulations at Aberdeen that have seen coach Derek McInnes lose his job.

Hibs cannot rely on the Dons being poor once the league splits, though, and Ross will know that his team need to return to form quickly with a win this weekend.

The game in Dingwall is Hibs' game in hand on Aberdeen and a chance for the Leith team to put clear space between themselves and the Dons.

One player who will be keen to impress is right-back Chris Cadden, who has been strongly tipped for a call-up to Steve Clarke's Scotland squad after some recent fine displays.

Hibs have shown a tendency to fold at crunch moments in this campaign - their two Scottish Cup semi-final defeats testify to that.

Now is the time for Ross's side to show maturity and ruthlessness and claim what could be a vital three points in their quest for third place.

Team News

Ross County left-back Carl Tremarco is a serious doubt for the game after sustaining a hamstring injury in the win over Kilmarnock last weekend.

Callum Morris is also out with a similar issue, while Connor Randall and Tom Grivosti are both out for the rest of the season with back and hamstring injuries respectively.

Leo Hjelde, the 17-year-old on loan from Celtic, was hailed by his manager after his strong performance off the bench last weekend and it looks likely that he will be required again on Saturday, given Tremarco's injury.

Hibs may not be able to call on Sean Mackie, who is recovering from a thigh injury that was expected to keep him out until the middle of this month.

There will doubtless be some eyes on goalkeeper Ofir Marciano too, with the keeper strongly linked with a move away from Easter Road when his contract expires in the summer.

The Israeli has been in fine form this season, recording 12 clean sheets in 22 league games, and Celtic as well as some top-tier English clubs are reportedly keen on the 31-year-old, who has a key role to play between now and the end of the season for Hibs.

Ross County possible starting lineup:
Laidlaw; Donaldson, Watson, Iacovitti; Naismith, Spittal, Lakin, Tilson, Hjelde; McKay; White

Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Marciano; McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Doig; Cadden, Irvine, Gogic, Newell; Boyle, Nisbet

We say: Ross County 1-2 Hibernian

Despite Hibs' recent defeats, they should still have too much quality for the Staggies on Saturday, though they may well have to work hard for a win.

A narrow victory in the Highlands should hand them a significant advantage over Aberdeen in the race for third place.