Stenhousemuir: 48 league matches in the bank, 12 from this season and the rest from last season in the Scottish League One. Livingston: 50 league matches in the bank, 12 from this season and the rest from last season in the Scottish Premiership.
The question this step asks
Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart?
The two sides
Stenhousemuir -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 2nd of 10 after 12 games, with 23 points. It was not in this division last season -- it came up from the Scottish League One, where it finished 2nd of 10.
Its block
New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side new to its division. Against that block it has won 2, drew 0, lost 1 of 3 -- 6 points of 9. At home against them: won 1 of 1. Away against them: won 1 of 2.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 5, drew 5, lost 1 of 11 (1.82 a game); against the middle block won 11, drew 6, lost 4 of 21 (1.86 a game); against the bottom block won 7, drew 4, lost 2 of 13 (1.92 a game); against sides new to the division won 2, drew 0, lost 1 of 3 (2.00 a game).
Livingston -- away
Where it stands
Stands 6th of 10 after 12 games, with 17 points. It was not in this division last season -- it came down from the Scottish Premiership, where it finished 12th of 12.
Its block
New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side new to its division. Against that block it has won 0, drew 1, lost 1 of 2. At home against them: won 0 of 2.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 1, drew 2, lost 13 of 16 (0.31 a game); against the middle block won 4, drew 8, lost 7 of 19 (1.05 a game); against the bottom block won 2, drew 6, lost 5 of 13 (0.92 a game); against sides new to the division won 0, drew 1, lost 1 of 2 (0.50 a game).
Built 21:02 from matches completed before
kick-off. Every figure is an observed count with its denominator —
not a forecast, and nothing here is a tip or a selection.