Dundee derby, Braga and Robinson in spotlight

After Scottish Cup quarter-final turmoil for the Old Firm and Aberdeen, it is back to a full programme of Premiership fixtures this weekend.

Four Saturday games include second-top Celtic hosting fourth-top Motherwell and leaders Hearts visiting Kilmarnock.

The following day, third-top Rangers are away to St Mirren before the weekend climaxes with a Dundee derby.

Aside from the gripping title race, here are some other key points to look out for.

A fascinating Dundee derby, with a place and two points separating the sides, closes out the Premiership weekend.

It is likely both teams will be playing their post-split football in the bottom half, given the gap the pair need to close on Falkirk in sixth, but bragging rights are always up for grabs.

It has been a win apiece in the previous two meetings this term, but there is no doubt Dundee are in the ascendancy heading into this one.

United have won two of their past nine league matches, a run that started with a home defeat to their city rivals at the start of January.

Jim Goodwin's side were also dumped out of the Scottish Cup by fellow Premiership club Falkirk last weekend.

Dundee, meanwhile, were earning an eye-catching win against in-form Motherwell, a victory that extends their recent upturn in form to a four-game unbeaten run.

Expect to hear the 'form goes out the window in a derby' cliche a few times between now and kick-off, but there is no doubt Steven Pressley's improving side will fancy themselves on home turf.

However, each of the last four Dundee derbies in the Premiership have been won by the away side, while the Dens Park club have failed to record back-to-back top-flight victories over United in more than two decades.

If Hearts are to win their first league title since 1960, or at least maintain or extend their five-point lead over Celtic this weekend, much might depend on Claudio Braga.

During the prolonged absence of captain Lawrence Shankland, and arguably even before it, the 26-year-old summer signing from Aalesunds has carried the biggest threat up front for Derek McInnes' side.

The Portuguese has 12 league goals, two in his latest three outings, the most by a non-British/Irish player in their debut top-flight season with Hearts since Juanma Delgado in 2015-16, while the last to net more was Rudi Skacel, with 16 in 2005-06.

Eight of those Braga goals - he also has five assists - have come away from home and, with Shankland now not scheduled for a return until a week on Saturday against Dundee, he will be the focal point again as he looks to add to that against second-bottom Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

It is not often that a club raids a rival sitting below them in the same league for their manager.

However, Stephen Robinson goes from trying to narrow the gap between 10th-placed St Mirren and Aberdeen to attempting to increase it. From one side with one win in 13 league games to another with an identical dismal record.

The Dons sit just one place, albeit five points, above the Paisley side, but it is the latter's relative success compared to their respective resources that has attracted chairman Dave Cormack and his board.

Prior to this season, St Mirren had finished in the top six in all three of Robinson's years in charge.

Aberdeen finished fifth, one place above last season - and won the Scottish Cup - but St Mirren have this season belied their league position by lifting the League Cup and, on Sunday, reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

The Dons, under caretaker manager Peter Leven, had fallen to an ignaminious 3-0 defeat away to Dunfermline Athletic by the time St Mirren surmounted a tricky tie at home to another second-tier side, Partick Thistle.

Robinson will miss out on the chance of a rare cup double - and a rematch with Celtic - at Hampden but now has the chance he has relished for some time to manage at one of the country's biggest clubs in terms of resources.

His first task comes against another side punching above their weight as Falkirk, who have all but secured a top-six finish, arrive at Pittodrie under John McGlynn - the man many pundits thought ought to be in the running to be heading there as manager instead.

Given St Mirren's league struggles this term, some thought Robinson's star had faded and suggest the Dons board, who had looked likely to wait until the summer to make an appointment, have panicked about the possibility of being dragged into relegation trouble.

However, they will argue that they could not afford another six-month wait for a manager, as they had with predecessor Jimmy Thelin, and that they have had nearly three months of close scrutiny during which to choose the right man.

Nevertheless, Robinson faces a tough first test against a side that have beaten Aberdeen 1-0 home and away already this season.