ABERDEEN must be wishing the World Cup was still raging over in Qatar as they head to Kilmarnock for this crunch clash on the back of three crushing defeats since the SPFL Premiership restart.
The Dons were handed a tough run after the World Cup break, with back-to-back games against the Old Firm at Pittodrie followed by an away day in Paisley against high-flying St Mirren.
But coming out of those three games without a single point has piled pressure on Jim Goodwin to halt the slump when his side head to Rugby Park for another difficult fixture.
While Aberdeen were desperately unlucky to concede twice in injury-time against Rangers in that 3-2 loss, they were the architects of their own downfall in Paisley, with skipper Anthony Stewart red-carded for conceding a first-half penalty with his side 1-0 up.
In stark contrast, going down to 10 men actually sparked Kilmarnock to life on Friday night as they came from 2-0 down to claim a point at Motherwell after Alan Power's red card.
Killie looked set for a second successive defeat with Well cruising but Paul McGinn's own goal gave them hope and Liam Polworth salvaged a point with a thunderbolt.
That comeback summed up the spirit in Derek McInnes' squad but Kilmarnock need more quality to secure their Premiership status, with just one victory in their last six outings. Both sides desperately need three points in this one so it makes for an intriguing 90 minutes at Rugby Park.
How the bookies view it
This is a tough one to call but Aberdeen are slight favourites at a best 11/8 with William Hill. Kilmarnock are 21/10 at Coral while the draw pays 5/2 with Bet365.
Recent head to head
Aberdeen have been a bogey team for Kilmarnock in recent years with the Dons going unbeaten in the last 12 meetings. Killie last tasted a victory in this fixture at Pittodrie back in 2018 and you have to go all the way back to 2011 for their last Rugby Park win over Aberdeen.
Players to watch
Dan Armstrong has been Kilmarnock's brightest spark this season, chipping in with eight goals already. The 25-year-old is 6/1 with SBK to add to that tally here, which seems overpriced given Aberdeen's poor defending in recent games.
Luis Lopes, the man known as Duk, has added a bit of class to the Aberdeen attack. The former Benfica player scored a stunning free-kick against Rangers to make it nine for the season and he's 9/5 at 888Sport for anytime scorer here.
Anything else catch the eye?
Aberdeen romped to a 4-1 win when these sides faced off earlier this season at Pittodrie but this match should be a lot closer. I fancied the Dons to get back on track in Paisley but poor defending let me them down and Killie could get some joy here.
Both teams to score stands a chance at 17/20 with William Hill but I'm more drawn to the 19/10 on offer at Ladbrokes for over 1.5 Kilmarnock goals.
With so much at stake we could see some meaty challenges and the referee might have a busy night. Over 4.5 cards is 19/20 at Unibet but there's better value backing individual players to fall foul of the whistler. Ylber Ramadani is usually at the heart of the midfield battle and the Dons star is 11/5 with Bet365 for a card.
I'd be surprised if either side ran away with this one and that makes a one-goal winning margin another good option at 5/4 with McBookie.
This Scottish Premiership match between Kilmarnock and Aberdeen will be played on Dec 28, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Kilmarnock vs Aberdeen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
