What are the key questions in Saturday's Scottish Premiership?
· Yahoo Sports
It's the final round of Scottish Premiership games before a long international break, but who will be left brooding for three weeks and who will head there with the luxury of a confidence boost?
There are five top-flight games 24 hours before the top two in the table face off in Sunday's Old Firm derby.
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Here are the key questions from Saturday's Premiership card.
Will managerless Hibs end dismal home run?
Hibernian go into their game against Aberdeen under a huge cloud after the sacking of David Gray.
Tuesday's dismal defeat by Kilmarnock was a drab ending to Gray's tenure as head coach and his 12-year stay at Easter Road but does not affect his legendary status given his exploits as a player.
John Potter has been placed in interim charge and must lift a group that has lost three Premiership games on the spin and hope to avoid a club record seventh successive home loss in the league, a run stretching back to last season.
Murmurs of discontent among the fanbase run beyond Gray and the hierarchy will be desperate for a performance and victory amid uncertainty over the long-term direction of the club.
Aberdeen will be in no mood to ease Hibs' recent woes.
After a similarly difficult start to the season, the Dons progressed to the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup with a penalty shootout win over Kilmarnock before thumping Motherwell 4-0 on Tuesday.
Head coach Stephen Robinson spoke about the growing confidence among his squad and it was evident at Fir Park.
Moroccan forward Ayoub Mouloua typified that with his bag of flicks and tricks, and indeed his wonderful goal, and could provide Robinson with an exciting option moving forward.
Before the Motherwell win, Aberdeen had gone four league games without a win and without a goal.
They could go as high as fourth with a win on Saturday, which would be a remarkable turnaround for Robinson and his players.
Will Kilmarnock build on first league win?
Another team whose manager and players had come under serious pressure recently is Kilmarnock, who eased some of the disquiet around Rugby Park with their 1-0 win at Easter Road.
Manager Neil McCann bristled after their first league victory of the season, insisting he maintained confidence despite taking one point from their first five outings.
More than the result, it was the performance and the clean sheet that will have heartened McCann.
Killie had shipped 14 league goals before their trip to Edinburgh, but they were much improved at the back and, in truth, should have won by a greater margin.
If they are to climb off the bottom of the table, they need to back up their midweek win with another three points against opposition from the capital.
Heart of Midlothian suffered a surprise defeat by Falkirk on Tuesday after four straight league wins - and nine overall without defeat - and head coach Wouter Vrancken was open in his disappointment in the performance level.
"It was not just out of possession we didn't play our best game, but in possession was, I think, the worst game we played," he said.
"We didn't push the opponent in decision-making and defensively then it's easy to defend and that's not how we want to play."
Indeed, two derby successes against Hibs are Hearts' only victories in their past 10 away trips in the Premiership. They lost on their last visit to Rugby Park in March and they head to Ayrshire with injuries leaving them short in defence and central midfield.
Set-pieces could be key, with third-top Hearts having scored a league-high four goals from those this season, while Kilmarnock's five goals conceded is the most in the division.
Will Motherwell get over 'bump in the road'?
Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson described the 4-0 defeat at home to Aberdeen as "a bump in the road", but with one win in seven outings, the Fir Park project is in danger of veering off course.
The Swede takes his side to Dundee having not won in five away games since defeating Hibs on the opening weekend of the Premiership season.
Johansson stressed that it is "a learning process" with "10 new players in the door", but that is hardly unique given how common such a high turnover in personnel has become in the league.
Having earned plaudits for continuing the adventurous passing style so successful for predecessor Jens Berthel Askou, he has "massive belief" that his "super committed" players will reach the great potential he sees in them.
Dens Park is the kind of venue where he will need to take points if another top-six finish is achievable and especially so when Dundee have not won in their latest two home games and three overall.
With six first-team players missing through injury or suspension, Steven Pressley is lamenting "probably one of the most challenging periods, in terms of injuries, in my time as a head coach".
So much so that 21-year-old striker Joe Westley has opted not to have surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone and trained in a protective mask.
However, considering Ryan Finnigan leads the Premiership statistics for tackles, Owen Bevan has made the most interceptions, while Ethan Hamilton has won most possession, Dundee have the ideal ingredients to disrupt Motherwell's free-flowing style and put another spanner in the works.