Steve Clarke has called for a decent kick-off time to allow as many Kilmarnock fans as possible to travel to Aberdeen for their Scottish Cup quarter-final encounter next month.
Three of the four ties over the weekend of March 3/4 will be televised live with the possibility of a lunchtime kick-off at Pittodrie should that game be chosen.
The other all-Premiership tie is between Motherwell and Hearts while holders Celtic host Championship side Morton with Rangers at home to Falkirk, also from the second tier.
Clarke noted that the Dons have beaten his side home and away in the Ladbrokes Premiership since he took over at the Ayrshire club and is looking to negate the home advantage as much as possible in the cup.
Ahead of the home Ladbrokes Premiership match with Dundee tonight, he said: “It will be a tough game.
“Probably not a lot of people outside Kilmarnock will expect us to go there and win.
“My one concern about the cup game is that we get a decent kick-off time, a kick-off time that allows our supporters to go in large numbers and give the team the backing they deserve.
“The Kilmarnock supporters have shown since I came here anyway that they are prepared to travel in numbers to support the team and I am sure the trip to Aberdeen will be no different.
“The two league games are in the past, I will be able to use those games hopefully to come up with a solution to beat Aberdeen but before then is four very important league games.”
Killie, on the back of six successive home wins, could move into the top-six with victory against the Taysiders, who are four points behind.
Dundee’s new signing Steven Caulker could make his debut against Kilmarnock.
The defender joined the Dee last week following Jack Hendry’s abrupt departure to Celtic, but missed the weekend defeat to Motherwell as he builds up fitness.
Dundee manager Neil McCann said: “I’ll have a conversation with Steven, it has to be on his terms because he has missed so much time but he has looked really good.
“It probably came a bit soon for him at the weekend but he looks great after a couple of extra days training.
“He is closer than he was on Saturday to playing.”
