Three teams head into the final round of Scottish Premiership fixtures before the split with a chance of making the top six.
Hearts are in the driving seat and sit in sixth spot – one point ahead of the other two contenders, St Mirren and Motherwell.
The Jambos head to Motherwell this Saturday, while St Mirren host Ross County.
Hearts hold their destiny in their own hands as they know a win will guarantee a top six berth.
St Mirren, who boast superior goal difference to Motherwell, could leapfrog Hearts if they defeat Ross County and the Jambos fail to win.
Motherwell will need to beat Hearts to stand a chance and hope St Mirren drop points against the Staggies.
But which of the teams would Aberdeen prefer to end up in sixth spot come 5pm on Saturday?
Dons facing three away games from final five fixtures
From the four other teams who are already guaranteed a place in the top six, the Dons can expect two home games and two away games.
Jimmy Thelin’s side can expect to face leaders Celtic at Pittodrie when they meet for a fourth time this season having already played twice in Glasgow.
Aberdeen should also get a home match against their rivals for third place Hibernian as they have already played at Easter Road twice this season.
The Reds have had two home matches against Rangers and Dundee United, so should be handed away trips to Ibrox and Tannadice when the top six fixtures are confirmed.
But whoever finishes sixth out of Hearts, St Mirren and Motherwell the Dons are likely to face another away day.
That is because Aberdeen have already played two home matches against all three of the teams vying for sixth place.
There is an argument the Dons may prefer to take on Hearts out of the possible three contenders.
They are unbeaten in the league against Hearts this season with a 3-2 win at Pittodrie in October followed by a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle in December and a 0-0 stalemate in Aberdeen in January.
The Red Army will hope that unbeaten streak continues when the sides meet at Hampden in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup a week on Saturday.
While the Dons took a point at Tynecastle, they lost both of their away league matches at St Mirren and Motherwell.
Saints could be the team to avoid
Stephen Robinson’s Buddies are maybe the team to avoid for the Dons.
They have taken only three of a possible nine points from the three meetings with a 3-1 home win in August followed by a 2-1 loss in Paisley in November and a painful 3-0 home defeat in January.
The Dons have performed well at home against Motherwell this term with a 2-1 win in September and a 4-1 victory last month.
Sandwiched in between was a 2-0 loss at Fir Park in January on a day when Slobodan Rubezic saw red.
The recent success against the Steelmen may make them the likely preference for many Aberdeen fans.
Hearts have hit good form since the turn of the year with their only three defeats in 2025 coming against the league’s top three of Celtic, Rangers and Hibernian before Sunday’s surprise 1-0 loss against Dundee United which has put their top six slot in doubt.
The Dons certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if the Jambos end the season in the bottom six, while another trip to Paisley is possily best avoided.
The last time Aberdeen won a league game there was in December 2018 when Stevie May and Sam Cosgrove were on target in a 2-1 win.
With Hearts the strongest of the three contenders and Aberdeen’s poor record at St Mirren Park, it could be a boost for the Dons if Motherwell manage to defy the odds and pip the Jambos and the Buddies to the final top six spot on Saturday.
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