Odds and preview for the weekend’s Scottish Premiership matches
The Scottish Premiership may look a little different in the new season, but in many ways it’s expected to be business as usual – with Rangers and Celtic set to renew their rivalry at the top of the table.
If Celtic win the league, they’ll claim their 10th consecutive league title, which no side has ever managed in the history of Scottish football.
If Rangers allow that to happen without putting up a fight, it could even spell the end for manager Steven Gerrard, who will be under a lot of pressure to halt Celtic’s domination.
With six matches across the opening weekend including Monday, we’ve taken an in-depth look at four of the games.
Aberdeen will hope to avoid an early season thrashing, as occurred last September when Rangers put them to the sword in a 5-0 win.
Since then, the teams have met twice, with a 2-2 draw in December and a 0-0 draw in January, despite the Ger’s controlling possession, with more than 70% of the ball on both occasions.
Aberdeen are 6/1 to win, with the draw at 17/5 and a Rangers win at 4/9.
Another score draw is priced at 9/2, while Rangers to win to nil can be backed at 11/8.
Rangers are expected to be without striker Jermain Defoe and midfielder Steven Davis, while Aberdeen will be without striker Sam Cosgrove, who could miss up to ten weeks with a knee injury. Forward Curtis Main will also miss the game, leaving Aberdeen short up top.
That means that in the goalscorer markets, Rangers’ striker Alfredo Morelos is 13/5 to score first, or 5/6 anytime, with Greg Stewart at 21/20 to score anytime.
Injury woes for Aberdeen mean 21-year-old Bruce Anderson may start up front and he can be backed at 15/2 to score first, or 14/5 anytime.
Newly promoted Dundee will hope to get their season off to a strong start after winning the Championship by a 14-point margin last season, with former Tranmere Rovers manager Micky Mellon taking the helm.
St Johnstone have a new manager too, in the form of Callum Davidson, who will be looking to build on a sixth-placed finish in last season’s shortened campaign.
Our odds suggest this could be a close-run game, with Dundee at 17/10 to win, the draw at 21/10 and a St Johnstone win at 17/10.
They’d also suggest a low-scoring game, with under 2.5 goals priced at 3/5, with the over at 6/5. If you think a cagily close game with a goal apiece is on the cards – a draw with both teams to score can be backed at 13/4, while a correct score of 1-1 comes in at 5/1.
Dundee striker Lawrence Shankland will be looking to continue his excellent Championship scoring streak, after netting 24 times in 26 appearances last season. He’s 11/4 to open the scoring here, or 23/20 to score anytime. St Johnstone will be hoping Callum Hendry can improve on last season’s tally of seven goals – he’s 9/2 to score first or 21/10 to score anytime here.
Former Sunderland manager Jack Ross’ Hibernian team are tipped for a top six finish, at 1/3 after finishing seventh last season, thanks to some smart summer signings, including striker Kevin Nisbet who excelled in the second tier.
For Kilmarnock, mid-table could once more be on the cards, and they may struggle here without Eamonn Brophy who could miss out due to an injury in pre-season.
Hibernian are 23/20 to win, with the draw at 23/10 and a Kilmarnock win can be backed at 5/2.
Their last meeting in December produced a 2-2 draw, and you can back a correct score of 2-2 this time out at 14/1, while over 3.5 goals comes in at 12/5.
Hibs striker Christian Doidge is 7/2 to open the scoring, or 3/2 to score anytime, while new signing Kevin Nisbet is 13/8 to score a debut goal.
Despite his niggle, Brophy is 15/8 to score anytime here for Kilmarnock, with Danny Whitehall at 14/5.
Celtic were virtually unstoppable in the league last season, winning 26 of their 30 games, dropping just 10 points in total.
Hamilton on the other hand, were saved from relegation only by a poor Hearts team, winning only six as they finished second from bottom.
Celtic are 1/10 favourites here, with the draw at 9/1 and a Hamilton win at 33/1.
Frankly, you’d expect Celtic to pile the misery on here – back in February they ran out 4-1 winners away from home and they beat Hamilton all three times they met.
If you think Hamilton may be able to keep Celtic at bay for 45 minutes, you can back a half-time draw, full-time win for Celtic at 3/1, while a high-scoring over 3.5 goal game can be found at 20/23.
Celtic have a plethora of dangerous attacking options – as you’d expect from a team who scored 89 goals in 30 games last season. Odsonne Edouard lives up to his name at 8/13 to score a goal anytime, or 5/2 to score first, while Patryk Klimala is 2/3 to find the net, with Leigh Griffiths at 4/5 and Ryan Christie at Evens.
For Hamilton, the goalscoring hopes rest largely on Marios Ogboe who scored six times last season, he’s 4/1 to find the net here.
