Livingston will host Ross County at the Tony Macaroni Arena on Thursday evening for the first of their two-legged meeting in the Scottish Premiership playoff final.
The hosts defeated Partick Thistle in the playoff semi-finals, while the visitors are battling for their Premiership survival after placing 11th in the top flight.
Match preview
© Imago
Livingston's six-year stay in the Scottish Premiership came to an end last season as the Lions miserably finished at the bottom of the table, managing only 25 points from 38 fixtures - 10 behind safety.
David Martindale, in charge since November 2020, would have been aiming for an instant return to the top flight ahead of this season, and his side have been consistently battling for promotion throughout the campaign.
Livingston never dropped below third in the Scottish Championship standings, eventually placing second with 70 points from 36 fixtures - after 20 wins, 10 draws and six losses - leaving them three points behind champions Falkirk.
That resulted in Livingston qualifying for the semi-finals of the playoffs, and Martindale's men confidently dispatched of Partick Thistle with a 4-0 aggregate victory to book their place in the final.
Boasting the home advantage in the opening leg will certainly boost Livingston's belief of victory, as the Lions have lost just two league games at home this season, while they have also lost just one of the past 10 meetings with Ross County at the Tony Macaroni Arena.
Ross County, however, have significant experience of competing at this level, having participated in and won each of the last two promotion-relegation playoff finals.
The Staggies defeated Partick Thistle 5-4 on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw in 2022-23 and bested Raith Rovers 6-1 on aggregate last term, and they will be aiming to make it three successive playoff final victories to maintain their Scottish Premiership status.
Don Cowie had hoped to steer his team clear of the relegation playoffs as a whole at the start of the season, but a return of just 37 points from 38 games - with nine wins, 10 draws and 19 losses - resulted in another 11th-placed finish.
The Staggies were clear of the bottom two with four games remaining of the regular season, but four successive defeats saw the gap closed to just one point, while three defeats and two draws in the post-split fixtures ensured their drop to 11th.
Ross County are now heading into this one having failed to win any of their last nine outings, with seven defeats and two draws, and they have won only two of the last eight meetings with Livingston, alongside four defeats and two draws.
Team News
© Imago
Livingston have no significant injury concerns ahead of this clash, with Martindale's main consideration being any potential fatigue from their two-legged semi-final last week.
Having secured a commanding 4-0 aggregate victory in that clash with Partick Thistle, Martindale could opt to name a largely unchanged 11, with Cristian Montero, Robbie Muirhead and Lewis Smith in attack.
As for the visitors, Aidan Denholm, Noah Chilvers, Ross Laidlaw, Ryan Leak and Scott Allardice are all not expected to feature due to ongoing injury issues.
Despite Ross County's recent poor form, Ronan Hale has scored four goals in his last six league appearances, and the striker should lead the line on Thursday.
Elsewhere, a similar side that drew 1-1 with Motherwell on the final day of the Scottish Premiership regular season is expected, including Connor Randall and Nohan Kenneh in midfield.
Livingston possible starting lineup:
Prior; Brandon, McGowan, Wilson, Fraser; Kelly, Tait, Pittman; Smith, Muirhead, Montano
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Amissah; Wright, Nightingale, Campbell; Efete, Randall, Kenneh, Ashworth; Nisbet; Samuel, Hale
We say: Livingston 1-0 Ross County
Ross County may have plenty of recent playoff experience, but the hosts have been formidable at home in this fixture and in the league this season, leading us to expect a home win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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Ellis Stevens
