Ex-Hearts and Rangers star set to sign new contract at SPFL club as rival looks to turn Hibs fans on club

Hearts will look to bounce back from their Europa Conference League loss in Copenhagen when they return to face Kilmarnock in a big match towards the bottom of the Premiership table.

The Jambos are currently second bottom of the table and just a point ahead of arch-rivals Hibs as they make the trip to Rugby Park. Hibs also have the chance to climb the table this weekend and will be desperate for all three points as they play host to Ross County.

As both sides prepare for a key weekend of action, we round up all of the Premiership’s main talking points.

Former Hearts and Rangers man close to signing new deal

Former Hearts and Rangers defender Danny Wilson is edging closer to a return to first-team action for Championship side Livingston - and his manager David Martindale has expressed his desire to get the defender tied down to a new deal at Almondvale. Wilson joined The Lions on a short term deal in October and has so far made three appearances at Championship level whilst registering one goal. The defender made an impressive start to life with his local club but has not played since 2 November following a calf injury.

The 32-year-old’s existing contract runs until January but Martindale has confirmed his intentions to keep the centre-back on board. He told the Daily Record: “Danny is probably going to be back training on Sunday for a session.

“He’ll be ready before Christmas, for sure. He might miss some game time because he’ll need to get his match fitness up, but he will be ready to play. How many minutes he will be able to play will be the issue. His deal is up in January, but there is an option for us to extend that and I imagine we will be exercising that option.

“I don’t see Danny not being here for the rest of the season. Holding on to Danny would give us some options defensively. We have been a wee bit short of late. The back four has been the same back four. They are robust and they have been available in nearly every single game.”

Livingston are currently second in the Championship, leaving them two points ahead of Scott Brown’s Ayr United team but eight away from runaway leaders Falkirk.

Ross County boss hopes to use Hibs fan expectation against them

Ross County boss Don Cowie has described this weekend’s trip to Hibs as a crucial moment in his side’s pursuit of survival - but says he is aiming to use the trip as a chance to turn the home crowd against their own team.

The Staggies have scored just one goal away from home, which ironically came in Edinburgh against Hearts earlier in the campaign. Cowie understands his side will enter as underdogs due to Hibs’ improving form and his side’s poor away record.

He explained: “I’m not naive, there will be an expectation in the stadium on Saturday from the Hibs support. With our away record, and the little bit of a bounce they’ve had over the last few weeks, they will be expecting to win the game.

"Hibs have got a bit of a feelgood factor now on the back of their last few performances. They got a good point against Aberdeen, a good win against Motherwell and performed very well against Celtic on Saturday. We have to turn that into a positive for us by starting well, being brave and positive, and keeping the home support quiet.

“I’ve played against Hibs several times, and it can be an intense atmosphere either way – it’s up to us as a group to turn that into a negative for Hibs.

"It's also another opportunity to end this run of winless away games. We're really motivated to put that to an end. They will see Saturday as a real opportunity, but we also understand the importance of ending the run and improving our away form.”