All eyes will be on Gayfield on Tuesday as Arbroath host Partick Thistle in a game which could have a huge say in the Championship title race.
The Lichties will be desperate to get back to winning ways and secure the points in their game in hand after three league draws in a row.
Arbroath weren’t at the races in their last home game, the 2-2 draw at Hamilton, then had two backs-to-the-wall 0-0 draws with Queen of the South and Morton.
Partick’s form has taken a dip too with two draws and a defeat in their last three league games.
Courier Sport takes a look at the stats behind the importance of the Gayfield tussle.
Massive impact on title race
Win, lose or draw, Tuesday night’s game under the Gayfield floodlights is massive for Arbroath and Partick’s title hopes.
But Kilmarnock, Inverness and Raith all have a vested interest in the result of the game too.
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Should Dick Campbell’s side win, they open up a three-point cushion on second place Killie. With a superior goal difference, that room for error could be vital for the Lichties, should they slip up in one of their nine remaining games.
A draw would keep Arbroath top, just a point clear of Kilmarnock. But will they be able to handle the pressure to match or better the Ayrshire side’s results in the final sprint?
A Partick win could blow the race wide open again. Three points would see the Jags jump up to third, six points behind Killie and Arbroath with TWO games in hand.
Recent history favours Arbroath
You have to go right back to November 2001 for the last time the Jags beat Arbroath, running out 4-1 winners at Firhill.
Since then, the sides have met seven times with the Lichties coming out on top in four of the games.
This season Arbroath have come out on top in both meetings, winning 3-1 at Gayfield in August and 2-0 at Firhill in December.
Goals galore and cleanest sheets in Championship
At both ends of the park, Arbroath and Partick are leading the way.
The Lichties are the top scorers with 38 with the Jags one behind on 37.
The sides are also neck and neck in the top goal scorer board with Michael McKenna and Brian Graham on 13.
At the back, both sides are equally impressive.
In half of his 26 league games, Derek Gaston has not conceded a goal. Jamie Sneddon in the Partick goal has went one further though, keeping 13 clean sheets in his 24 league games.
When opposition have found their way through the Arbroath defence, they haven’t scored many. The Lichties have conceded the fewest goals in the entire league with Gaston having to pick the ball out of his net just 18 times.
If Arbroath can continue stay bottom of the goals conceded and top of the goals scored charts – they could well find themselves at the top of the table that really matters come the end of the season.
