Heart of Midlothian have both sides of the Old Firm chasing them down in the SPFL Premiership and their title credentials face another stiff test away to in-form Dundee.
The Jambos are looking to break four decades of Glasgow dominance in Scotland's top fliight and will never stand a better chance with both Celtic and Rangers recovering from disastrous managerial appointments.
Derek McInnes' men have recovered from a wobble that saw them win just once in six games to rack up four victories in their last five matches.
Rangers cut the gap on the leaders to just three points with a midweek win over Aberdeen but Hearts have a game in hand and also lead the Hoops by six points.
A huge clash with the champions looms large at the end of January but the Jambos first have to negotiate two league games with Dundee and St Mirren.
It looked like the Dark Blues were doomed to the drop after a poor start under new boss Steven Pressley but their form has picked up spectacularly in the last few weeks.
Dundee have moved nine points clear of the drop zone after three successive wins and now sit in ninth place.
They claimed a 1-0 derby win at Tannadice last weekend, busting my coupon, and will now be looking to put a dent in Hearts' title hopes.
How the bookies view it: Dark Blues too big at 13/2
Despite their upturn in form, Dundee are rank outsiders for this one at 13/2 with Bet365. That looks incredibly generous, especially as the Dark Blues have home advantage. Hearts are 12/25 hot favourites with the same firm and the draw pays 3/1.
Recent head to head: Jambos bossing it
Hearts are probably such a short price because they hammered Dundee 4-0 at Tynecastle earlier in the season. The Jambos have seven of the last 10 meetings, with the Dark Blues coming out on top in the other three.
Players to watch: Shankland the main man
Dundee striker Ashley Hay heads into this game with his confidence soaring after netting in the last two games. He's 9/2 with Ladbrokes to make it three in a row.
Lawrence Shankland drew a blank last weekend but the Hearts captain has been on fire this season, with 14 goals for club and country. He scored against Dundee in the last meeting and is 13/10 at Ladbrokes for a repeat.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Probable line-ups
Yan Dhanda can't feature for Dundee against parent club Hearts but Pressley will be tempted to stick with the rest of the team that delivered a derby win last weekend. Captain Simon Murray is back from a ban and could replace Dhanda.
Hearts new boy Islam Chesnokov could be on the bench but Oisin McEntee has joined Ageu, Calem Neuwenhof and Findlay Pollock on the sidelines. Striker Landry Kabore could feature after Burkina Faso were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Dundee: McCracken, McCracken, Astley, Koumetio, Wright, Graham, Yogan, Congreve, Jones, Hamilton, Murray, Hay.
Heart of Midlothian: Schwolow, Altena, Halkett, Findlay, Milne, Baningime, Devlin, Magnusson, Kyziridis, Braga, Shankland.
Anything else catch the eye?
Since that rout of Dundee on November 1, Hearts have only claimed victory by more than a one-goal margin once, a 2-0 triumph at Falkirk in mid December.
So this should be a tight one and the in-form Dark Blues may be worth a punt in the double chance at 17/10 with William Hill.
The Jambos have won six or more corners in their last four matches while Dundee racked up seven in their last home game. That makes over 10.5 match corners a decent option at evens with Bet365.
Central defenders have been a regular source of goals for Hearts, with Craig Halkett on six for the season and Stuart Findlay on five.
Loanee Findlay signed a permanent deal in midweek and he's 9/1 with Paddy Power to celebrate with a goal.
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