DUNFERMLINE take on Queen's Park this afternoon in what is set to be a crucial match in the SPFL Championship.

James McPake's hosts, smarting from a 5-0 thumping at home to Greenock Morton, entertain the Spiders in a rearranged clash.

Postponed twice previously, the teams meet with just one point and one place separating them, with the Pars eighth, and their visitors ninth.

Here's our look ahead to the game.

Form guide Dunfermline go into this one on a run of seven games without a win, four of which have ended in defeat.

Prior to last Saturday's Morton defeat, they did draw at leaders Dundee United, and have slipped to eighth in the table. They have lost their last three at home, with their last victory coming against Arbroath in late November.

The solitaty away loss during that run was inflicted by Queen's Park at the beginning of January, where a 2-1 win gave them a first success in 16 league games.

Since then, the Spiders have appointed one-time Pars coach, and ex-St Johnstone boss, Callum Davidson as successor to the axed Robin Veldman, and he has won two of his three league games so far.

An impressive win at title challengers, Raith Rovers, was followed by a home loss to Ayr United, but they were winners on the road last Saturday at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Ahead of kick off, Dunfermline, albeit having played a game fewer, are eighth, just one place and one point above the Spiders.

Recent meetings This is the third clash between the clubs this season - but the first at KDM Group East End Park.

They had been due to meet there in December, but the game was postponed, and it fell victim to the weather again when it was rearranged for last month.

In September, the Pars secured a 2-0 win at Hampden, but were beaten, as alluded to earlier, in the second fixture there last month.

Queen's Park's last visit to East End is not a fond one, however.

In May 2022, a 1-0 victory saw them progress to the Championship play-off final and, in the process, relegate Dunfermline to League One.

That was Queen's Park's first win over Athletic in any competition since season 1985/86, and a first success at East End since the 1978/79 campaign.

Team news James McPake has given an update on player availability, which you can read here. Craig Wighton and Sam Fisher are set to miss you.

From the manager "I’ve genuinely got a lot of time for Callum Davidson and Liam Craig, and Queen’s Park as a club for what they’ve done recently. I think what they’re doing is great," James McPake commented.

"When they went in there they weren’t the form team and they beat us down there at Hampden.

"This week, we’ve done our work on Queen’s Park and how they can hurt us - we know they’ve got good players - and on how we can hurt them.

"But the big focus has been on putting Saturday’s performance right and going out and, at the very, very least, giving these fans something to be proud of.

"On Saturday, we deserved every bit of stick we got. We’ve taken that on the chin and we move forward as a group.

"I’m not using it as an excuse but everybody keeps talking about the injuries, and I do get that. The problem the injuries are causing is it’s tough to get your message across when you’re training with so many out, and we’re bringing in new players and trying to get working with them.

"But that’s our job to get that right, and that’s why we spend so long trying to do it.

"We’ll get it right."

Today's game kicks off at 3pm and tickets are on sale until then.

Press Sport will be at East End to bring you live updates if you can't make the match.