East Fife: 41 league matches in the bank, 5 from this season and the rest from last season. Ross County: 40 league matches in the bank, 4 from this season and the rest from last season in the Scottish Championship.
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
East Fife -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 6th of 10 after 5 games, with 6 points -- too few games yet to mean much. Last season it finished 9th of 10 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the bottom block (8th to 10th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 5 games old.
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 0 of 1. Away against them: won 0 of 1.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 2, drew 3, lost 7 of 12 (0.75 a game); against the middle block won 6, drew 4, lost 10 of 20 (1.10 a game); against the bottom block won 2, drew 3, lost 3 of 8 (1.12 a game); against sides new to the division won 0, drew 1, lost 0 of 1 (1.00 a game).
Ross County -- away
Where it stands
Stands 2nd of 10 after 4 games, with 12 points -- too few games yet to mean much. It was not in this division last season -- it came down from the Scottish Championship, where it finished 10th 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 from the bottom block (8th to 10th). Against that block it has won 3, drew 2, lost 4 of 9 -- 11 points of 27. At home against them: won 2 of 5. Away against them: won 1 of 4.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 1, drew 3, lost 8 of 12 (0.50 a game); against the middle block won 6, drew 5, lost 6 of 17 (1.35 a game); against the bottom block won 3, drew 2, lost 4 of 9 (1.22 a game); against sides new to the division won 2, drew 0, lost 0 of 2 (3.00 a game).
Built 03:28 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.