Already four points adrift of visitors Dundee at the foot of the table, Saturday’s is a game Livingston can little afford to lose if they are to retain hopes of avoiding at the very least a play-off to avoid relegation.
David Martindale seems to be in with the bricks at Almondvale, so there is less speculation about his future than there is about visiting head coach Steven Pressley or Stuart Kettlewell, whose Kilmarnock side are also in freefall and level on points with Dundee.
However, Livingston’s manager is increasingly looking a forlorn and frustrated, even resigned, figure as he prepares to enter his sixth year as manager.
No wonder after 14 games without a win and three defeats in a row, culiminating in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat in Motherwell.
Yet only Celtic and Hibernian, two other top-five sides, have also beaten Livingston by more than a single goal during that run.
Dundee have won their latest four meetings, including their two visits to West Lothian two seasons ago – and by 3-2 in the reverse fixture at Dens Park in September.
However, Martindale is unlikely to change tactics that have resulted in only leaders Heart of Midlothian registering more high turnovers in the Premiership this season than Livingston.
Especially as no side has faced more goal attempts following high turnovers against them in the division this term than Dundee (level with Falkirk).
Indeed, Pressley’s side are themselves on a dismal run of one victory in seven, losing the other six, and have lost six in a row on the road – their worst run since 2005 – and failed to score in the latest four.
That should give Martindale some hope that his side, who have had the worst top-flight start since Falkirk in 2009-10, can record only their second league win of the season and narrow that gap at the bottom.
