Both sides are looking to get back on track after suffering defeats in last season's delayed Scottish Cup semi-finals at the weekend.

Aberdeen had not lost in five outings until Sunday's lacklustre 2-0 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Celtic, but they remain unbeaten at home in three games.

Hibs had gone six games without losing until their 2-1 loss to neighbours Hearts but remain unbeaten in four away from home, the latest three without losing a goal.

However, the Edinburgh side have not won in eight visits to Pittodrie since May 2012 and Aberdeen won their latest meeting, 1-0 at Easter Road in August.

Image source, SNS

Alloa Athletic: Reece Wilson, Robertson, Taggart, Graham, Dick, Hetherington, Grant, Cawley, Trouten, Brown, Thomson.

Substitutes: Buchanan, Scougall, Connelly, Malcolm, Andrew Wilson, Murray, Lynch.

Dundee: Ferrie, Kerr, McGhee, Elliot, Marshall, Byrne, Adam, McGowan, McDaid, Mullen, Afolabi.

Substitutes: Jack Hamilton, Robertson, Sow, Anderson, Luke Strachan, Nicholas Hamilton, Wilkie.

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes tells BBC Sportsound: "Tonight it is two teams with a lot to play for this season and intentions. Hibs have made their ambitions clear and have started well. We have always prided ourselves on being competitive and we want to make sure we have a good couple of months ahead.

"Tonight's a tough challenge for both teams. There's a lot of attacking players in both teams. It shows the intent from Hibs. We have a front three effectively, more than I can ever remember.

"It could be an exciting game."

Image source, SNS

Tonight's Friday evening Scottish Championship game live on BBC Scotland involves two sides currently in the bottom four.

Dundee were among the promotion hopefuls, but they started off with a 6-2 hammering by favourites Hearts, sit seventh with four points from three games but can jump to third with a victory.

Hosts Alloa Athletic have yet to collect a point and the part-timers could find themselves dropping to the bottom below Queen of the South and Arbroath should they lose.

TV coverage starts at 19:30 and you can watch by clicking the link above.

Both managers have mixed things up as they try to end poor runs of form in Dingwall.

Ross County boss Stewart Kettlewell makes four alterations from the loss to Dundee United. Connor Randall is missing with a hamstring injury and fellow defender Regan Charles-Cook also drops out along with Iain Vigurs from midfield and Billy Mckay up top. In come Tom Grivosti, Harry Paton, Michael Gardyne and Oli Shaw.

Meanwhile, Livingston head coach Gary Holt has made three changes. Left-back Julien Serrano drops out the matchday squad, while midfielder Jason Holt and forward Josh Mullin are on the bench. Replacing them are Scott Robinson, Alan Forrest, and Steve Lawson.

What's this? Fans have been spotted at the game in Dingwall.

Ross County were given permission to allow 300 fans in tonight for the first time in weeks as the Highlands are in Scotland's lowest level of Covid-19 infection.

Image source, SNS

Hibernian head coach Jack Ross tells BBC Scotland: "It's an exciting game and you couldn't get a better night for it.

"So far, we are going in the right direction. It's been easy to remind the players of that once the initial disappointment [of losing against Hearts last week] subsided. The incentive is brilliant as we know we can go into a brilliant position, even for just a couple of games.

"If we win tonight, we extend the advantage over Aberdeen, or if we lose, we fall further behind. We've challenged the players to have this ambition for this season. I don't want us to tread water and do okay sometimes and not others. We put pressure on ourselves every week, but we understand the significance of tonight."

Image source, SNS

Marley Watkins may have played his last game for Aberdeen after suffering a serious hamstring injury and the forward is replaced with Connor McLennan.

For the visitors, Scotland winger Jamie Murphy is back in the starting line-up at Pittodrie. Kevin Nisbet, who missed a penalty in last weekend's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Hearts just days after his father passed away, starts in attack with Christian Doidge.

St Mirren's squad have been released from quarantine as they prepare for their first Scottish Premiership game in over a month.

Jim Goodwin hands debuts to two new signings - former Aston Villa midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes and on-loan Coventry City left-back Brandon Mason both start.

From the penalty shoot out win in the league Cup over Queen of the South away back on 10 October, there are five changes, with midfielder Cameron MacPherson, forward Kristian Dennis and defender Conor McCarthy joining the new signings in the starting XI.

Image source, SNS

On-loan Reading striker Marc McNulty has returned to training after recovering from a hamstring strain but has to make do with a place on the Dundee United bench.

Manager Micky Mellon sticks with the same starting line-up that beat Ross County 2-1.

Ali McCann comes into St Johnstone's midfield in place of Craig Bryson in the only change from their stalemate against Dundee United. Guy Melamed is yet to feature for the Saints after signing on deadline day, but the Israeli forward is on the bench.

Kilmarnock also just make one change from their 1-0 defeat by Rangers, with Greg Kiltie coming back into the team for fellow forward Rory McKenzie.

Image source, SNS

With Celtic's recent woes continuing with last night's 4-1 home defeat by Sparta Prague, Hibs and Aberdeen have the chance to put further pressure on Neil Lennon's reigning league champions.

Hibs can leapfrog Celtic into second place with a victory at Pittodrie, albeit they will have played two more games. Meanwhile, their hosts can draw level on points with the Glasgow side should they secure a win.

Tonight's other three games involve teams jostling for position below a top four who have established a healthy gap between themselves and the rest of the league.

Ross County: Doohan, Iacovitti, Donadlson, Grivosti, Reid, Kelly, Lakin, Paton, Gardyne, Stewart, Shaw

Substitutions: Laidlaw, Tremarco, McKay, O'Connor, Vigurs, Hylton, Charles-Cooke, Tillson, Williamson

Livingston: Stryjek, Lawson, Brown, Guthrie, Devlin, Bartley, Pittman, Robinson, Sibbald, Forrest, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

Substitutions: McCrorie, Ambrose, Taylor-Sinclair, Fitzwater, McMillan, Holt, Mullin, Poplatnik, Tiffoney

Tonight's fixtures were moved from the Saturday to give Scotland head coach Steve Clarke more time to prepare his squad for Thursday's Euro 2020 play-off final away to Serbia.

However, with Celtic and Rangers having qualified for the Europa League group stage, which meant they played last night and then return to league business on Sunday, only two of his 27-strong squad actually benefit from the extra rest.

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen: Lewis; Hoban, Considine, Taylor; Kennedy, Ferguson, McCrorie, Hedges; McLennan, Wright, Cosgrove

Substitutes: Woods, Logan, Devlin, Ojo, Main, McGinn, Leigh, Hernandez, Edmondson

Hibernian: Marciano; P McGinn, Hanlon, Porteous, Doig; Boyle, Gogic, Newell, Murphy; Doidge, Nisbet

Substitutes: Barnes, Gray, McGregor, Mackie, S. McGinn, Hallberg, Mallan, Wright, Gullan

St Mirren: Alnwick, Tait, Mason, Shaughnessy, McCarthy, Doyle-Hayes, MacPherson, McGrath, Dennis, Fraser, Erhahon

Substitutes: Lyness, Finlayson, Sheron, Foley, McAllister, Connolly, Morias, Erwin, Obika,

Dundee United: Siegrist, Smith, Reynolds, Edwards, Robson, Butcher, Pawlett, Bolton, Harkes, Clark, Shankland

Substitutes: Deniz, Sporle, Powers, McMullan, McNulty, Fotheringham, Appere, Neilson, Fuchs

St Johnstone: Clark, Kerr, Gordon, McCart, McNamara, McCann, Davidson, Tanser, Conway, Wotherspoon, May.

Substitutes: Parish, Rooney, Booth, Craig, Bryson, O’Halloran, Kane, Hendry, Melamed.

Kilmarnock: Rogers, Millen, Broadfoot, Findlay, Waters, Tshibola, Dicker, Power, Burke, Kabamba, Kiltie.

Substitutes: Eastwood, McGowan, Haunstrup, Rossi, Mulumbu, McKenzie, Brophy, Pinnock, Whitehall.

Let's turn our attention to tonight's games - and a new stadium. Well, a new stadium name at least.

It's difficult to keep track of them these days as sponsors come and go and St Mirren have renamed their home The SMISA Stadium "in a show of recognition for the club’s fans as they start the final countdown to becoming its majority owners in the summer".

St Mirren Park will therefore be named after the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association for the rest of season.

Image source, Allan Picken

In other news, Hamilton Academical have signed winger Nathan Thomas after the 26-year-old left Sheffield United.

The Englishman, who had a short spell with Motherwell in 2015, spent last season on loan to Carlisle United and scored nine goals in 41 appearances for the League Two side.

He could make his debut away to Rangers on Sunday.

Image source, SNS

Neil McCann
Former Hearts & Rangers winger on BBC Sportsound

Allan Preston
BBC Scotland summariser on Sportsound