Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland at Easter Road

In this craziest of football seasons what a game we have in store this afternoon in front of a full house.

Motherwell could potentially go into third place with a victory. That tells us exactly how positive a campaign this has been for the Fir Park club since Jens Berthel-Askou took over last summer.

For the home side, after a difficult early part of the season, they know a win would see them leapfrog their opponents into fourth place. That should be incentive enough for David Gray and his players as they take on the Premiership surprise package.

It’s sunny and cold in the capital but this should be a real sizzler!

Image source, SNS

Neil McCann was part of Barry Ferguson's interim management team at Rangers last season but has not been a Premiership boss since he left Dundee in October 2018.

The last permanent appointment to win their league debut with Killie was Jim Jefferies in March 2002.

Image source, SNS

Livingston have only lost one of their past eight top flight home games against Kilmarnock (W5 D2).

Back in August, Livi came from 2-0 down to grab a draw at Rugby Park.

Livingston are winless in their last 18 league games, while Kilmarnock have gone 14 matches since a victory in the top flight.

The last-placed hosts are four points adrift of the visitors, while St Mirren are five in front of Killie with two games in hand.

Are these two doomed to relegation and the play-off already or can a win today breath life into a survival bid?

After that 2-1 win in December, Dundee United are seeking back-to-back league victories over Celtic for the first time since January 1990.

Image source, SNS

Celtic lost at Tannadice in December but at home they can boast a 50-game unbeaten run against Dundee United.

Duncan Ferguson was on target the last time United celebrated a victory at Celtic Park back in December 1992.

Celtic sent up the O'Neill-Signal for a second time this season on Monday, bringing an end to the sorry Wilfried Nancy experiment and reinstalling Martin O'Neill until the end of the season.

O'Neill won seven of his eight games when stepping in after Brendan Rodgers' exit. Now the 73-year-old has to pick up the pieces after a run of six defeats in eight under Nancy.

Will we seen an immediate bounce for the champions, who have slipped back to third place?

Image source, SNS

Livingston's new signings Scott Arfield and Alex Tamm are listed on the bench.

David Martindale make three changes from the side that lost narrowly to Hearts last weekend.

In come Samson Lawal, Joshua Brenet and Macaulay Tait for the benched Mo Sylla and Daniel Finlayson and Cristian Montano, both of whom don't make the squad.

Neil McCann makes three changes to the Kilmarnock starting XI.

Estonia defender Michael Schjonning-Larsen makes his first start while Jack Thomson and Scott Tiffoney also start as the suspended David Watson as well as Ben Brannan and Liam Polworth drop out.

Stephen Robinson makes two changes to his St Mirren side and they both come in midfield.

Jayden Richardson drops out, with Conor McMenamin moving onto the right hand-side. That allows Liam Donnelly to come in, with Fraser Taylor alongside him.

The diminutive attacker replaces Alex Gogic, who misses out completely. There is a potential debut on the bench for former Motherwell man Allan Campbell.

John McGlynn and Falkirk makes just the one change, with Henry Cartwright coming in for Kyrell Wilson.

Livingston: Prior, Brenet, McGowan, Kabongolo, Lawal, Susuho, Pittman, Tait, May, Yengi, McLennan.

Substitutes: Myles, Kerr, Muirhead, Smith, Bokila, Tamm, Sylla, Wilson, Arfield.

Kilmarnock: Oluwayemi, Schjonning-Larsen, Deas, Brown, Mayo, Thompson, Tiffoney, Thomson, Lyons, John-Jules, Anderson.

Substitutes: Beach, Williams, McKenzie, Dackers, Brannan, Stanger, Leslie, Polworth, Coughlin.

St Mirren: George, Fraser, King, Freckleton, McMenamin, Phillips, Donnelly, Taylor, John, Nlundulu, Mandron.

Substitutes: Mullen, Richardson, Tanser, Sobowale, Campbell, Idowu, Dijksteel, Douglas, Mooney.

Falkirk: Bain, Lissah, Allan, Henderson, McCann, Yeats, Tait, Spencer, Cartwright, Miller, Stewart.

Substitutes: Hogarth, Adams, Donaldson, Graham, Ross, Nesbitt, Wilson, Williams, Parkinson.

Hibs switch two following their win at Kilmarnock last weekend, striker Kieron Bowie starting and Jordan Obita coming in at left-wing back.

Junior Hoilett and Thibault Klidje drop to the bench, but David Gray is without Josh Campbell, Martin Boyle and Nicky Cadden.

Rocky Bushiri, who has returned from Afcon, is among the substitutes, while Miguel Chaiwa is nowhere to be seen.

Motherwell are dealt a huge blow with the loss of Elliot Watt, who is out with a muscle problem. Fellow midfielder Callum Slattery is among the subs.

Oscar Priestman comes into the side with Tom Sparrow, while Jordan McGhee makes his return to the matchday squad after a lengthy spell out.

Image source, SNS

To no one's surprise, Martin O'Neill has reverted to a back four with Liam Scales returning to Celtic's defence.

O'Neill has made a further three changes to the side that started Wilfried Nancy's last game in charge.

Julian Araujo replaces Anthony Ralston for his first Celtic start, Reo Hatate comes into midfield while Sebastian Tounekti is back on the wing. Luke McCowan, Benjamin Nygren and Johnny Kenny are on the bench.

Jim Goodwin has also made four changes to his Dundee United team following their 1-0 derby defeat last weekend.

Dario Naamo returns having recovered from a groin injury and joins Vicko Sevlej, Ross Graham and Owen Stirton in the starting line-up.

Bert Esselink, Iurie Iovu, Amar Fatah and Max Watters are replaced.

Image source, SNS

Hibernian: Sallinger, O'Hora, Hanley, Iredale, Megwa, Mulligan, Barlaser, McGrath, Obita, Youan, Bowie.

Substitutes: Smith, Levitt, Newell, C Cadden, Klidje, Hoilett, Mitchell, Bushiri, Molotnikov.

Motherwell: Ward, O'Donnell, Welsh, McGinn, Longelo, Priestman, Fadinger, Sparrow, Just, Said, Maswanhise.

Substitutes: Connelly, Gordon, McGhee, Slattery, Stamatelopoulos, Koutroumbis, Osong, Ross, McAllister.

Celtic: Schmeichel, Araujo, Trusty, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Hatate, Engels, Yang, Tounekti, Maeda.

Substitutes: Sinisalo, Nygren, McCowan, Kenny, Bernardo, Murray, Forrest, Donovan, Ralston.

Dundee United: Richards, Sevelj, Graham, Keresztes, Ferry, Sibbald, Camara, Stephenson, Naamo, Stirton, Sapsford.

Substitutes: Adams, Strain, Iovu, Trapanovski, Eskesen, Amar Fatah, Watters, Cleall-Harding, Moller.

There are a few games off today due to the freezing weather.

Scottish Championship

Greenock Morton v Dunfermline Athletic

Queen's Park v St Johnstone

Scottish League 1

Alloa Athletic v Montrose

Peterhead v Hamilton Academical

Scottish League 2

Annan Athletic v Elgin City

Dumbarton v Clyde

East Kilbride v Spartans

Just the two managerial appointments since last weekend, with a new boss at Kilmarnock and a new, old gaffer at Celtic.

Martin O'Neill and Neil McCann step straight into big games too as the champions look to get back on track after an abysmal run and the bottom two meet in West Lothian.

Here's what's on the Scottish Premiership menu at 15:00 GMT.

• Celtic v Dundee United
• Hibernian v Motherwell
• Livingston v Kilmarnock
• St Mirren v Falkirk

Image source, SNS