Partick may have dropped to fourth in the Championship, but they are a team that is in the midst of a charge back up the table, largely thanks to the strong form that they are displaying at home.

Manager Ian McCall has come under pressure lately, yet the Jags have lost just one of their last seven matches, picking up four wins along the way. Incidentally, that defeat was against league leaders Queen’s Park away from home. Their momentum was checked a little last weekend as they were held to a draw against Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup before winning on penalties, but they boast an excellent seven wins from 11 home league matches.

Contrast that to Hamilton, who have won just one away match all season, losing on seven occasions and scoring only seven goals. Accies do come into this game off the back of three successive victories – two of them in the cup – but all were achieved at home. They are on a run of seven successive away defeats in the league.

Hamilton have simply stopped scoring goals. Andy Winter’s goal against Morton in a 1-0 win a fortnight ago is the only league goal they have netted since Remembrance Day – and even that was a penalty. Remarkably, the last goal they scored that wasn’t a penalty or an own goal game was more than 700 minutes of league football ago.

All this points strongly in the direction of a home victory, with Partick having earned a 2-1 win when the sides last met in October.

Edinburgh are likely to find the going tough against Falkirk once again as their unlikely title challenge in League One has faltered. The Citizens have lost their last couple of matches, and while they have specialised in picking off the part-time teams – at least until they lost to Alloa a fortnight ago – they have found the going difficult against full-time opponents all season.

Alan Maybury’s side have lost all seven matches against the clubs that are entirely full-time in the league – Dunfermline, Falkirk, and Queen of the South – and often they have lost with a degree of comfort. Indeed, the pair of 1-0 defeats they have suffered against Dunfermline is as competitive as they have been, while they have scored just a single goal for the concession of 17 in these fixtures.

Complicating matters further for the capital side is the fact that they have seen the depth of their group hampered by a trio of loan recalls to Hibs in the last couple of weeks.

On the other hand, Falkirk are gaining some momentum after an inconsistent run of form. They have won each of their last four matches, including an impressive 2-1 win at Alloa last weekend in the Scottish Cup. They were not at their best in that game but the addition of Matthew Wright on loan from Ross County means they will now have a viable focal point to their attack.

One point of concern ahead of the weekend is Falkirk’s relatively poor away record – three away wins from eight league matches. However, they have played only one away game in the last two months, during which their level has improved significantly. Put to the test on the road, expect them to pass.

SPFL League Two has been packed with goals this season, and on Saturday two of the most prolific sides will meet at Ochilview. Home team Stenhousemuir’s 20 league matches have averaged 3.55 goals this season while visitors Elgin’s have seen the ball hit the net an average of 3.4 times. They rank first and third respectively in the table for goals-per-game.

Stenhousemuir may have changed manager recently, but it has not stopped a flood of matches still producing more than 2.5 goals – at least until they were held 1-1 against East Fife a fortnight ago. Remarkably, both teams have scored in all of the Warriors’ fixtures this season since August 20, a run including 22 matches. They have stemmed the flow of goals conceded lately and threatened a major cup upset last weekend as they held a 1-0 lead over Premiership side Livingston at the break before losing 3-1.

Seven of Elgin’s eight away matches in League Two this season have brought at least 2.5 goals, with their 100% record blocked on January 2 in Forfar. The Loons, though, are a low-scoring side themselves and that was always likely to be a more difficult type of match for Gavin Price’s men. On an artificial surface, expect to see a more open encounter.

Certainly, recent matches between these clubs have been thrilling. All three games this season have seen over 2.5 goals, although the 3-3 draw they played out at Ochilview in mid-September is unlikely to be repeated as the hosts are a little more robust now. Nevertheless, expect at least three goals in this one.