Livingston will welcome back David McNamee to the squad after he missed the last few league matches with suspension, and picked up a calf injury just before the trip to Alloa.
Dundee United will be without Paul Ritchie and Barry Robson, who are both banned for the trip to Almondvale.
David McCracken is also ruled out with a hamstring injury. Lee Mair is likely to start in central defence and Garry Kenneth is added to the squad.
Richard Gough yesterday said: “I would say it’s a must-win game. It’s a big, big game that we definitely should not lose, but we must be prepared to fight and we need a bit of luck on Saturday. It’s a good opportunity for us to get off the bottom of the table.
“I’m looking for an improved performance on the Alloa game, but it doesn’t matter how we win, we just have to win. It’s always great to get a good performance, but winning is the most important thing.”
He continued: “Rubio should be fine and although he took a bang on the head, but he should be fit.
“Mark Wilson, will also be fine with a bit of luck after his hamstring problem although Robert Snodgrass will miss out, but other than that everyone else is fine.
“Colin McMenamin should be in with a shout after he stole one for us last weekend, hopefully he can do that again on Saturday.”
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Livingston prepare to entertain Dundee United at Almondvale Stadium on Saturday afternoon, needing to improve on a poor record between the sides. The visitors have won 3 of the 8 previous games, with the Livi winning just 2.
The most recent encounter between these two sides at Almondvale Stadium was earlier this season, where the two sides shared the spoils courtesy of a 1-1 final scoreline in a Scottish Premier match.
For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here
| Recent encounters between the teams: | |||||
| 2004/2005 | Sat 13 Nov | Dundee Utd. | 1 - 0 | Livingston | SPL |
| 2004/2005 | Sat 21 Aug | Livingston | 1-1 | Dundee Utd. | SPL |
| 2003/2004 | Wed 24 Mar | Livingston | 2 - 3 | Dundee Utd. | SPL |
| 2003/2004 | Sat 13 Dec | Dundee Utd. | 2 - 0 | Livingston | SPL |
| 2003/2004 | Wed 29 Oct | Dundee Utd. | 0 - 1 | Livingston | SLC |
| 2003/2004 | Sat 13 Sep | Livingston | 0 - 0 | Dundee Utd. | SPL |
| 2002/2003 | Sat 10 May | Livingston | 1 - 2 | Dundee Utd. | SPL |
Recent respective form guides
Livingston's home form is poor, winning just 2 of the last six, and losing the other 4. While Livi have scored 5, a worringly large 11 have been leaked at the other end.
Dundee Utd.'s away form is none too clever either, picking up two good wins, but losing three, from the last six. The The Terrors's have a narrow positive goal difference over these games, with 10 goals for and 9 against.
Livingston find themselves stuck right at the bottom of the division. Their 24 games have yielded only 16 points. Dundee Utd. are hovering perilously just above the relegation zone, with 18 points from 24 matches.
For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here
| Current form guides: | P | W | D | L | F | A | P |
| Livingston | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 6 |
| Dundee Utd. | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 16 | 8 |
Liviultras.com prediction - A tight 2-1 win for Livi
| Sequence statistics: | |
| Livingston | Been beaten in each of their previous 3 home matches. Failed to win in previous 3 home matches. Not drawn a match in their last 7 . |
| Dundee Utd. | No sequences of note |