Outside the Glasgow clubs, Hearts are the form team in the Scottish Premiership, with Robbie Neilson’s side well on course to effectively secure third place in the table before the split after the next 11 games, just as they did last season. Victory over Livingston on Saturday would be another major step towards that achievement.

While the Edinburgh club certainly go into this encounter in a buoyant mood after winning four of their last five, including two 3-0 derby victories over Hibs and a resounding 5-0 success over Aberdeen 10 days ago, they are liable to find this an altogether more testing task.

For one, Hearts are not typically a prolific side on the road. They have won only three of their 11 away matches and have scored just 14 times in 11 away games.

With Livingston a low-scoring club, this game is not likely to provide fireworks, then. David Martindale’s side have thrived off being pragmatic, allowing them to punch above their perceived weight. Their 10 home matches have produced a total of only 20 goals, which have included a string of close-fought matches. Among these was a 1-0 success over Hearts in September.

Indeed, this will be the sixth meeting of these clubs in the past 15 months. None of these games have yielded more than two goals while only one of the last 10 dating back to the start of 2019 have seen the ball hit the net three times. The odds on that trend to continue are very appetising indeed.

Olympiacos missed a huge opportunity to close the gap on leaders Panathinaikos after drawing 1-1 away at Atromitos last weekend. The Peristeri-based side may have dealt the visitors a hard blow, but Olympiacos received a huge boost in morale on Wednesday, when they clinched qualification to the Greek Cup semi-finals.

Michel’s men beat Aris 1-0 for the third time in a space of two weeks despite going down to 10 men in the second half with the score at 0-0 on the road. This time, it was not their solid defence but their backup goalkeeper, Kostas Tzolakis, who helped the team keep a clean sheet thanks to his eight saves, including a penalty stop.

Following a superb start to this calendar year, Olympiacos have been struggling to break down compact defences who have adapted to the Greek Super League reigning champions’ new formation with three playmakers. Despite having scored 11 goals in their last four home games, Olympiacos are not expected to cruise past a solid OFI, who drew 0-0 at third-placed PAOK and 1-1 away at leaders Panathinaikos in games that neither rival managed to take their chances.

This won’t be the case with Olympiacos, who need to bounce back with a win in their bid to remain in the race for the league title after dropping points in their last game. Fourth-placed Olympiacos need a victory in this one, as they are set to face PAOK away from home in a crucial game that will take place next week.

Fewer than 2.5 goals have been scored in all Olympiacos’ last four games and they will be called to play against a team who defend in a low block and have conceded just two goals in six games, in which they have kept four clean sheets. Olympiacos have what it takes to grab a win here, but they should not be expected to cruise past OFI.

Cerro Porteño accumulated more points than anybody in Paraguay last year but ended the year trophyless, finishing second in both the Apertura and Clausura. Sportivo Ameliano surprised everybody by not only staving off relegation but also winning the Copa Paraguay in a historic night in Encaranción. They head into this game with another trophy under their belt having defeated Olimpia 1-0 in the Paraguayan Super Cup on Wednesday.

Last year Chiqui Arce’s team was built around a sturdy defence and possession-based football, but often lacked the cutting edge up front. To remedy that he has brought in one of the most prolific goalscorers in the country in Fernando Fernández and welcomed back the all-time top scorer at La Nueva Olla Diego Churin who returns from a stint in Brazil. In central defence Juan Patiño is likely to be partnered by the relatively untested Rodrigo Delvalle who has big boots to fill after Alexis Duarte exited for Spartak Moscow. Last year Duarte played 38 of the 44 league games, a vital part of the best backline in the division.

Humberto Garcia’s side are on a high after defeating Olimpia in the season curtain raiser the Paraguayan Super Cup. A goal from Elvio Vera who also scored against Cerro last season (while playing at Tacuary) was enough for the win. While the forward line hasn’t changed, both Alex Arce and Elías Sarquis were there last year, they have bolstered the defence with Argentinian goalkeeper Joaquin Papaleo and his compatriot Franco Ortellado a young central defender. Garcia’s style has always been to sit deep and counter which in theory can upset Cerro Porteño.

Despite the recent resurgence of Ameliano, it is the home side who are rightly favourites going into this match. Before the season break, they had won four of their last five at La Olla only losing to champions Olimpia and they beat the V Azulada in all four meetings last year. They scored 2 or more goals in all of those fixtures.