Who will come out on top in the three-way battle for a top six Premiership place?

Just when those in the corridors of power begin a fresh debate about the future structure of the Premiership, the split takes centre-stage again with a weekend of drama that will decide just how the league run-in will look.

Five sides have guaranteed their place in the top six already, four sides are already consigned to the bottom half and a battle against relegation. The remaining three – Hearts, St Mirren and Motherwell, will have their fate determined on Saturday afternoon.

And just to add to the tension, two of the three face each other.

How does the table look?

It could hardly be any tighter, with just one point separating the three sides after 32 games.

Hearts hold the advantage, sitting on 39 points, but a defeat means they slip down the table at the worst possible time and end up a bottom-six side. Even a draw doesn’t mean safety.

St Mirren and Motherwell are tucked behind on 38 points, with goal difference putting the Paisley side just ahead.

What are the fixtures?

St Mirren need to defeat Ross County to have hopes of reaching the top six. (Photo by Paul Byars / SNS Group) SNS Group

St Mirren play host to a Ross County side who are fighting for every point themselves, desperate to pull away from the Premiership play-off spot but having suffered four defeats in their last six games.

Hearts travel to play Motherwell with both sides knowing exactly what’s on the line. The Tynecastle side were 1-0 winners when the teams met in Edinburgh in January, but Motherwell were 3-1 victors when they last went toe to toe at Fir Park right back at the beginning of the season.

What are the permutations?

Let’s start with the simplest ones.

If Hearts win – Hearts are in the top six regardless of what St Mirren do. They move up to 42 points and start looking forward to some tough post-split matches.

If Hearts and Motherwell draw and St Mirren fail to win – Hearts remain in sixth place while St Mirren and Motherwell are bottom six sides post-split.

If Hearts and Motherwell draw and St Mirren win – A win for St Mirren over Ross County would take them up to 41 points. A draw at Fir Park would leave Hearts on 40 points and Motherwell on 39. St Mirren would leapfrog Neil Critchley’s side into sixth and celebrate a top-half place for the third successive season.

If Motherwell win and St Mirren win – Motherwell defeating Hearts would see them move up to 41 points, ahead of the Tynecastle club but St Mirren’s three points would put them on the same total. St Mirren’s goal difference is nine better than Motherwell’s, so unless Michael Wimmer’s side managed the unlikely feat of scoring ten more than their rivals, St Mirren would move into the top six.

If Motherwell win and St Mirren fail to win – If Motherwell can see of Hearts and St Mirren only manage a draw or worse, then Motherwell leapfrog two sides and take the final top six spot.

What do the managers say?

Motherwell boss Wimmer has his eye on a big result, not least because it would take away relegation fears and allow him to plan for next summer.

“If St Mirren also win, we have no chance to go into the top six, but points are so important,” he said.

“I agree, it’s also important to stay in the league and this is also very, very important for me to have a secure situation.

“It’s always easier if the pressure is not so high, instead of this kind of pressure.”

St Mirren manager preferred to set his side a points target, rather than focus on something that may be beyond his control.

“You’ve got an opportunity to get into the top six, to break 40 points and if you don’t make the top six then it’s going to be a relegation battle for every team,” Robinson said.

“So it’s something we’re looking forward to and we have to embrace.

“We’re not the ones under pressure.

“For ourselves and Motherwell, it’s a huge bonus to be in the top six but it’s other teams under pressure and not us.”

Neil Critchley knows Hearts are in the best position going into the final game, and just wants his team to push on and finish the job.

“It’s an exciting game,” he said. “An important game, our preparations have been the same as it’s always been and we’re going there to try and play how we can play the game, like we did last weekend against Dundee United (lost 1-0), in my opinion.

“And if we can play to a similar level with a little bit of extra, quality and intelligence in front of the goal, then I’m sure we’ll get the result that we need.

“We have that one game, it’s in our hands.”