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The Scottish Premiership has been one of Europe's most intriguing leagues this season and what promises to be a thrilling run-in will be played out once the division splits in two.
Hearts, Rangers and Celtic are involved in a three-way title tussle and will have Motherwell and Hibernian for company in the home straight.
Promoted Falkirk are as good as there too since Dundee United, in seventh, need a six-point and an eight-goal swing over two games to usurp the Bairns.
This is how the split – which first took place in season 2000-01 – will work.
What is the split?
After 25 years, it should be familiar but it still leaves a bit of head scratching.
The split takes place after 33 rounds of fixtures – with the final round of first-phase games on the weekend of 11 and 12 April – by which time all 12 teams will have played each other three times.
For rounds 34 to 38, the top-six sides play each other once more and the bottom six teams do likewise.
It means five games per team against those closest to them in the table, as the title, European places and relegation are decided.
Sound straightforward? Well, sometimes it isn't…
Imperfect balancing act
Clearly, the SPFL does not know which sides will be in which half of the table at the start of the season when deciding who will have 16 home games and 17 away games prior to the split. Calculations are based on the previous campaign.
If you've had 17 home games, you would nominally expect to play two more after the split. If you've had 16 at home, you'd expect three.
Hearts, Rangers, Motherwell and Falkirk will have played 17 at home up to round 33. Celtic and Hibs will have played 16 at home.
Here's where it gets a bit tricky.
Given the need to even out home and away derbies and the stakes in the title race, it's likely two of Hearts' away games will be at Easter Road and Celtic Park while Rangers can expect to be away to Celtic and Hearts, having hosted those sides twice in the Premiership already this term.
However, Hearts have hosted Falkirk and Motherwell twice, which means one of those two sides might get a third league trip to Tynecastle.
As well as visits from Hearts and Rangers, Celtic will have a home meeting with either Hibs, Falkirk or Motherwell with all three having already been to Celtic Park twice this season.
Meanwhile, Rangers will have hosted Hibs, Falkirk and Motherwell only once each but will only have two home post-split games. Similarly, Motherwell have hosted Falkirk, Hibs and Rangers twice each but can only expect two home games against that trio.
If United somehow manage to leapfrog Falkirk, they too will create the same imbalance of home and away games as they too will have played 17 at home and 16 away come the split.
It's a headache for the SPFL to resolve and will leave some sets of fans grumbling.
Seventh with more points than sixth?
Once the door shuts after round 33, that's it, you can't leave your half.
It can make for an odd looking table.
In 2023-24, seventh had a higher final points tally than fifth and eighth better than sixth.
Bottom six complications
Dundee United, Dundee, Aberdeen, St Mirren, Kilmarnock and stranded Livingston are in the bottom half just now.
The team finishing last will be relegated and the team in 11th will go into a two-legged play-off with a Championship side to try to stay up.
Four of the six will have played 16 home league games and 17 away come the split. United or Falkirk and Killie will have the opposite.
One of the home-away discrepancies could centre around Dundee United. As well as the Dundee derby, United would have one other home game but all four of Aberdeen, Killie, Livi and St Mirren have been to Tannadice in the league twice already this season.
One may have to make a third trip, although it's unlikely to be north-east rivals Aberdeen.
Kilmarnock are due to have two home games. However, Aberdeen, Dundee and St Mirren have all already been to Rugby Park twice already, so one will need to make a third trip to Ayrshire, although it's unlikely to be St Mirren.
Who faces who and where may depend on the picture around who is and who is not safe from relegation becoming clearer by the end of round 33.
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