TAKE Celtic and Rangers out of the equation and today's meeting of Hearts and Motherwell will go a long way to decide who wins the league battle to be the best of the other eight clubs.
Hearts currently occupy that position, sitting third in the league and, a win over Motherwell will put them seven points ahead of the Fir Park club and, in the driving seat to secure a UEFA Cup place.
Their emphatic 3-0 home win over Aberdeen in midweek helped their cause considerably, and today are likely to play the same outfield players with either Gilles Rousset or Roddy McKenzie replacing goalkeeper Antti Niemi, who is out with a groin strain.
Hearts manager Jim Jefferies said, yesterday, that he realised the significance of today's game which he felt would prove a difficult test for his team, despite their good midweek win.
One man who looks certain to start, is midfielder Lee Makel who was the man of the match against Aberdeen, but who has had a difficult time at Tynecastle where he has started just 12 games in more than two years at the club.
Makel said: ''It's been frustrating on the bench because at most clubs I had been a first choice player but now I would like to get an extended run at Hearts but I realise it won't be easy.''
Meanwhile, it might be reasonable to assume that Motherwell's 6-2 thrashing by Rangers last week cast a pall of gloom over Fir Park, but things still remain upbeat there.
While Billy Davies would probably admit to having had better days than the one last Saturday, the Motherwell manager had at least some grounds for a modicum of satisfaction, not least from the performance of full-back Stevie McMillan.
According to Davies, McMillan is potentially one of the most accomplished defenders in the Scottish game, a player with excellent pace and a great left foot and Scotland coach Craig Brown has also declared himself an admirer of the 24-year-old from Edinburgh.
Going into today's game Davies believes his players must adopt a meaner streak if they are to avoid similar beatings in future matches.
''We have to be a little more aggressive in our defending and concentrate more,'' said the Motherwell manager. ''It's important that we tighten up at the back and having Greg Strong on board until the end of the season will help the defensive unit but it's not only defenders who must take the responsibility for getting back, that's something that must be done throughout the side.''
Davies accepts the importance of today's game but with 11 games still to play in the league he believes the race for third spot could go to the wire.
He said that, despite their heavy defeat at the hands of Rangers, he would not be going to Tynecastle to defend.
''When you go to places like Ibrox and Parkhead you have two choices, either to sit back and wait until the opposition scores, or try to be creative and play an open, attacking game in the hope of scoring one or two yourself.
''We have suffered heavily by adopting the latter approach but I am only in my second season in charge and it will take slow progress to get where we want to be. At the moment, we are in a nice position, but our aim must be to continue to improve our level of consistency and finish higher than the seventh place we achieved last season. Anything else will be a fantastic bonus.''
BOOKIES' VIEW: Hearts 4-5, Motherwell 10-3, draw 5-2.
Hearts v
Motherwell
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