Dundee have five massive games left to save their Premiership status.
Five matches against the bottom sides in the division.
That should give hope that the Dark Blues can overcome their fellow strugglers.
However, their record this season against the rest of the bottom six is not the confidence boost it should be.
As Courier Sport will explain.
Best record
Let’s start with the positive stuff first.
Dundee have won more points against Motherwell than any other side, beating them twice.
It’s been two wins and a defeat with an aggregate score of 6-3.
They face the Steelmen on matchday 35 after travelling to sixth-placed Hearts next weekend.
They’ve earned three points against the Jambos this term while games against Kilmarnock and St Johnstone have earned four points.
Bogey side
Each of the bottom sides have beaten Dundee at least once.
One team, though, has a 100% record against the Dark Blues.
Ross County have scored eight goals and conceded just one in three wins over Tony Docherty’s Dee.
That’s brought nine big points for the Staggies and they will be aiming to repeat their 3-0 win at Dens Park in December on May 14.
Goals
Dundee’s big plus this season has been the ability to find the net.
They’ve rattled in 50 goals in 33 matches and are the fourth top scorers in the Premiership.
Prevailing wisdom would think it was against the worst defences in the division that the Dark Blues did their business.
However, it hasn’t worked like that this term.
Against bottom six sides, the Dark Blues have scored fewer than Hearts, Ross County and St Johnstone.
Motherwell are the lowest scorers with just 13 goals – half as many as Hearts, who have the most with 26.
As expected, Dundee’s conceded column does not make good reading.
They’ve conceded 30 in 15 matches – two per game against the Premiership’s worst sides.
Six of those were in one game against Hearts and that leaves them with eight more conceded than bottom side St Johnstone.
Surprise leaders
The Premiership table after 33 games is the all-important one, even more so when we get to 38.
However, the table with just matches between bottom six sides tells a different story.
One that shows how much Dundee need to up their game in the final furlong.
The Dark Blues lie second bottom of that particular table, bettering only seventh-placed Motherwell.
Dundee have lost more games against bottom six opponents than any other.
Surprisingly Ross County lead the way at the top with a remarkable 28 points – a whopping 80% of their total for the season.
That is helped by beating both Dundee and Kilmarnock three times and earning seven points from Motherwell.
The Steelmen themselves are bottom of this particular table, which will concern fans at Fir Park.
Taking average points into the games to come, Dundee’s projected total would be rounded up to 40 points.
That would be enough to see them finish four points ahead of St Johnstone but not enough to climb out of the play-off place.
As this table shows, there’s only one thing for it now – Dundee must improve.
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