What next in battle to avoid Premiership play-off?

It could be the weekend when Livingston are finally put out of their misery at the foot of the Scottish Premiership, but there are four other sides in a dog-eat-dog scrap to avoid the relegation play-off place.

We still have five fixtures to go as the top flight splits into two sections of six, but if Kilmarnock gather more points in Aberdeen than Livingston do away to St Mirren on Saturday, the bottom club's fate will be sealed.

It will not be the earliest any side have been confirmed as relegated in the Premiership era - that badge of dishonour remains with current leaders Heart of Midlothian, who suffered the same fate a game before the split in 2014 after a 15-point deduction following insolvency.

However, somewhat amazingly, Livingston would become only the second newly promoted side - after Dundee in 2022 - to go straight back down since the top flight was rebranded as the Premiership 13 years ago.

Assuming that 12-point gap proves unbridgeable, where does that leave the teams above who are looking to avoid a two-leg decider against the Championship side that reaches the Premiership play-off final?

Livingston's hosts, St Mirren, had a hand in relegating Hearts, despite the Edinburgh side beating Partick Thistle, with a victory over Motherwell 12 years ago.

The Paisley side were also the executioners when Gretna suffered the earliest relegation this century.

The Borders minnows were consigned to their fate, which was also followed by liquidation, after losing 2-0 in Paisley on 29 March 2008 - with seven games still left of the season, having suffered a 10-point deduction.

St Mirren would go on to finish 10th, one place above Kilmarnock at a time when no play-off faced the second-bottom side.

This time, however, there is much more at stake as Neil McCann leads his side to Aberdeen sitting two points behind the Buddies and five adrift of their hosts and Dundee.

The Dons stretched their lead over the Ayrshire side after beating Hibernian at home last time out to end a run of eight games without a win while Kilmarnock were being held to a 2-2 draw by visitors Dundee.

Head coach Stephen Robinson will be hoping a first win in four games since he switched from St Mirren will ease some of the pressure that mounts on Aberdeen whenever they are in danger of suffering the first-ever relegation in their history.

Kilmarnock's results have improved since McCann took charge in January, but they still have a fight on their hands to avoid a repeat of 2021, when their 28-year stay in the top flight was ended after a play-off defeat by Dundee.

Indeed, the odds appear stacked against them at Pittodrie considering they have not won in 13 trips away from Rugby Park since September and have lost on their latest four visits to Aberdeen.

As they seek to extend their own eight-year stay in the top flight, St Mirren will fancy their chances of bouncing back from Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final disappointment considering Livingston arrive having still not won in 33 games since August.

A 6-2 defeat would take the wind out of many a side's sails, but interim manager Craig McLeish will be stressing how well they did to come back from 2-0 down to Celtic to take the tie into extra-time before they were flattened by an amazing spell of four goals in six minutes.

St Mirren will also be wary of a side who have only lost two of their latest seven outings under new head coach Marvin Bartley and came close to ending their long wait for a win before Dundee United came from behind to win 3-2 at Tannadice last time out.

Livingston have not won away from home since beating third-tier East Fife in the League Cup on the opening day of the season and have failed to record a victory at SMiSA Stadium in 10 visits, losing the latest four, including 1-0 in December.

However, their latest three meetings with St Mirren have all finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, albeit all at home, with Livingston only losing the first after a penalty shootout in the Scottish Cup before two league stalemates.

Dundee begin their post-split fixtures with a city derby that could set the tone for their remaining four.

With United 12 points clear of Kilmarnock, Jim Goodwin's side are now free of relegation fears of their own, but that will not stop them wanting to deepen the woes of foes who will make the famous walk from the other end of Tannadice Street on Sunday.

Especially so considering the Dark Blues won 1-0 there in their last visit in January before denying United revenge at Dens Park last month after two stoppage-time goals salvaged a point for the hosts.

That started a run of four games without a win for Steven Pressley's side.

However, just as United showed battling qualities in coming from behind to beat Livingston last time out, so did Dundee as they drew 2-2 at Rugby Park despite Kilmarnock being twice ahead.

United are unbeaten in six games, winning their latest three - and securing a fourth in a row in the top flight since November 2014 would be a further sign that United are, indeed, the best of the rest outside the top six.

However, Dundee are now unbeaten in four visits to Tannadice since September 2021, winning the latest two.

Another win would do wonders to their chances of extending their three-year stay in the Premiership.