Dundee United hope to have assistant boss Stevie Frail watching them play at Easter Road.
Frail has been ill with the coronavirus and missed the Tangerines’ last two games away to Livingston and at home to Rangers.
Tangerines’ manager Micky Mellon has this week welcomed back his self-isolating group of players.
He now would love to complete the jigsaw be witnessing the return of the club’s number two to the group when they face Hibs in Edinburgh on Saturday.
Mellon said: “He (Frail) is improving but is still not back with us yet.
“I am hoping he might be able to show his face (on Friday) and then be at the game on Saturday but he is still not back with us yet.
“We hope he will be on the mend.”
Players return
Mellon finds himself with considerably more selection options than he had against Rangers last Sunday, with the likes of Nicky Clark, Calum Butcher and Luke Bolton all expected to be available again.
He will need all the resources he can muster when facing a Hibees team that has just reached the semi-finals of the Betfred Cup as well as still going strong in the Premiership.
Mellon said: “We have had Hibs watched as much as we need to and I saw them against Dundee recently.
“We know it is a brilliant challenge and a fantastic opportunity for us against a Hibs team that is at the top end of the division.
“They are getting results, are scoring goals and have good pace in attacking areas.
“We know there is enough there and we, like against Rangers, will need to be the best version of ourselves possible to give ourselves a right good chance of getting a result.
“We are confident, though, and we know we can go down there and cause them problems as well.”
Transfer window
Next month’s transfer window is fast approaching and, despite the financial stresses on his club, Mellon didn’t rule out some freshening up of the Tannadice squad.
The United gaffer added: “If we feel there is a player out there who will make us better, I think the owner’s (Mark Ogren) ambition is to keep moving Dundee United forward.
“We are in tough times at the minute financially but we have an unbelievably talented and fantastic academy.
“I am looking for opportunities to play them, they are pushing hard and I am mindful of that but if there is a player out there who would interest us and make us better then I think we’d always have the discussion.
“We would always have to shuffle things around to do what we need to do but we will always be looking to improve.
“We will look at who is available and as long as it doesn’t block the path of the young ones and they would improve the team then that’s a question we would ask.
“We would always look to do that within what fits financially.”
“There is nothing imminent but you always look around, see who you might think will be available and agents are on all the time.”
Mellon was asked specifically about Ross County frontman Ross Stewart but replied: “It’s not fair to talk about someone else’s players. The job is hard enough without doing that to other teams.”