D-day for Livi in Kilmarnock; McInnes & Stewart in focus

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And then there were three. No, not the album that marked the beginning of Genesis' transformation from prog rock to the pop charts, but the Scottish Premiership title race after one of the challengers dropped out the race.

It leaves those three sides within three points of one another at the top, Motherwell and Hibernian in a head-to-head for fourth as they meet at Fir Park on Saturday, Falkirk within a point of clinching the final top-six spot and Livingston running out of time to save themselves from automatic relegation.

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Here are some of the key things to look out for as leaders Heart of Midlothian and third-top Rangers also feature among Saturday's five fixtures while reigning champions Celtic visit Dundee United on Sunday.

Game of weekend - Kilmarnock v Livingston (Sat, 15:00)

After two initial losses under new manager Marvin Bartley, Livingston are unbeaten in four outings.

But all were draws and they still have not won in 30 games since Falkirk visited in August. Their 15 points from their opening 30 league matches are the lowest since Livingston themselves picked up a mere 12 when being relegated in 2005-06.

Given the gap between the two is now up to nine points thanks to Kilmarnock's surprise win over leaders Hearts last weekend, it is even more essential that Bartley's side end that run on Saturday when they visit the team sitting second bottom.

St Mirren, who are looking for a new manager after Stephen Robinson's switch to Aberdeen, are also now in the relegation equation as they are only ahead of Kilmarnock on goal difference.

So, with the Paisley side visiting in-form Falkirk, even a draw could be enough for Neil McCann's side to move out of the relegation play-off spot.

Only Celtic, with a last-minute winner, have denied Kilmarnock a victory in their last four games at Rugby Park, where Livingston have not won on their latest five visits.

The West Lothian side staged a two-goal fightback to draw on their last visit in August and the points were also shared in Livingston in January, but going one better this time is surely a must for Bartley's side.

To do so, they will have to end a seven-game run without a win over Kilmarnock, who also edged out Livingston 1-0 in the League Cup at Rugby Park in July.

It is a task made all the harder given Kilmarnock's improvement since Neil McCann became manager, with three wins and one draw in their last seven outings since ending their own 17-game run without a victory.

Player to watch - Barney Stewart (Falkirk)

Managerless St Mirren's hopes of improving on their run of one win in seven outings, or ending a run of nine games without a clean sheet, will not be helped by facing the Premiership's in-form striker on Saturday.

It is only 15 months since Barney Stewart graduated from university football with Heriot-Watt to Falkirk's first team and only three since spending the first half of the season on loan to Dunfermline Athletic in the Championship.

However, since the 21-year-old marked his return with a hat-trick against Hibernian on 24 January, Stewart has found the net six times and contributed two assists, which is more goal involvements than any player in the top-flight during that spell.

Indeed, including one in their Scottish Cup win over Dundee United and his late equaliser in Aberdeen last weekend, he has scored four in his last three games to take his total to 16 in 26 outings this season.

His form is such that some were touting him for a first Scotland call-up for this month's World Cup warm-up friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast.

Findlay Curtis, the 19-year-old winger on loan to Kilmarnock from Rangers, got the nod instead, but Stewart's time will surely come if he continues this sort of form.

Falkirk Stadium was the scene of St Mirren's only away league win this season, but they have gone 12 on the road without a win since and, with Stewart leading the line, John McGlynn's side will be favourites to repeat their win in Paisley in January and secure that top-six finish.

Manager in spotlight - Derek McInnes (Hearts)

Having suffered a third consecutive away defeat and with Celtic and Rangers having narrowed the gap at the top, Derek McInnes will be glad of some home comforts as he looks to allay the narrative that his long-time leaders are cracking under the title pressure.

The coming weeks will certainly be a test of his managerial expertise, starting with the visit of a side led by former Hearts caretaker and captain Steven Pressley.

Pressley knows all about how the Tynecastle crowd can be 12th man in the good times but can quickly turn febrile in frustration.

Hearts remain unbeaten at home in the Premiership this season, but since losing on penalties to Falkirk in the Scottish Cup in January, they have drawn with Celtic and scraped three successive 1-0 wins.

The nervousness and tension could at times be cut with a knife and Dundee arrive buoyed by their two-goal, stoppage-time fightback to draw Sunday's city derby.

Eight points clear of St Mirren and Kilmarnock, Pressley's side are not yet clear of relegation trouble but are edging there after five unbeaten games.

McInnes has also been here before, leading Aberdeen to four consecutive second-place finishes as they became Celtic's main challengers during Rangers' financial problems from 2014-18.

He will be forgiven if he is haunted by the memory of the 2015-16 season, when his Dons were only three points behind Celtic with 14 matches to play before faltering in the final stages to finish 15 points behind.

The increasing nervousness could explain why, since the start of February, Hearts have scored just five goals from 77 shots in the Premiership, a conversion rate of 6.5% - the lowest of any side in the competition in this time.

Their xG/shot of 0.076 is also the lowest of any side in the top-flight in this period. Dundee, meanwhile, top both of these metrics since 1 February (15.2% conversion, 0.129 xG/shot).

The return from injury of Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland, along with key midfielder Cammy Devlin, should help improve those stats for Hearts.

They thumped Dundee 4-0 on their last visit in November, but McInnes would no doubt settle for a repeat of the 1-0 win at Dens Park in January and a sixth victory over the Dark Blues on their latest seven trips to Tynecastle.

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