RAITH ROVERS fans are starting to dream of a return to the top flight and their heroes head into this clash with Partick Thistle looking to knock Dundee United off the Championship summit.
With United out of action last weekend due to the wintry weather, Rovers took full advantage as they came from behind to claim a dramatic 2-1 win at in-form Inverness and bring up a bet for our man Mark.
That allowed them to cut the gap at the top to just a point and it means Ian Murray's side can hit the summit in front of the BBC Scotland cameras for this week's Friday night football.
A few people fancied Raith Rovers as dark horses for promotion via the play-offs but if they keep up their amazing run of form they could give title favourites United a real run for their money.
While Jim Goodwin's leaders have yet to lose in the Championship, Raith have suffered just one defeat and they're now on a 10-game unbeaten run in all competitions, winning eight of those games.
But they will face a major test when Partick Thistle come to Kirkcaldy as the Jags are also in terrific form, losing just once in their last nine outings.
Kris Doolan's team came mightily close to going up last term, falling at the final hurdle as they blew a three-goal aggregate lead in the final 20 minutes of their play-off final with Ross County.
There was a bit of a hangover from that disappointment when the new Championship campaign kicked off but Partick Thistle are flying now and head to Fife buoyed by four successive wins in all competitions.
The Firhill men are just five points behind Rovers in the table so a victory at Stark's Park could also fire them back in contention for a title push.
How the bookies view it
With both teams in such good form it's a tough one to call but Raith Rovers are favourites with home advantage at 13/10 with Betfair. Partick Thistle's best price is 21/10 at Bet365 while the draw pays 12/5 with the same firm.
Recent head to head
There has been little between these sides in recent seasons, with the last 12 meetings producing four Raith wins, three Partick victories and five draws. The last two meetings have both ended in 2-2 draws and armchair fans will be hoping for a repeat.
Players to watch
Striker Jack Hamilton has been in good form for Raith Rovers and scored after I flagged up him as a threat in their Scottish Cup win over Dunfermline. He has four goals in his last four outings and is 13/5 at Coral for anytime scorer.
Winger Aidan Fitzpatrick has been stealing the show for Partick Thistle in recent weeks and looks back to the form that earned him a move to Norwich as a kid. He also has four goals in his last four games and looks overpriced at 4/1 with Bet365 for another goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
This is a fixture that has produced lots of thrills of late, with over 2.5 goals landing in the last five meetings and BTTS coming up in three of those games. BTTS is just 4/6 with Bet365 here but over 2.5 goals is better at 17/20 and combining both those picks will get you above evens in a bet builder.
There's little between these sides so the half-time draw looks good at 6/5 with William Hill while backing Partick Thistle to win either half could be worth a punt at evens with Coral.
We saw 11 corners when these sides faced off at Firhill earlier in the season so backing over 10.5 corners could pay off here. That pays 6/5 at SkyBet but the price drops just under evens with BetVictor and Bet365.
This Scottish Championship match between Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle will be played on Dec 8, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Raith Rovers vs Partick Thistle prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
