Scottish Premiership - What To Watch For This Weekend

The Scottish Premiership fixture paper whitethorn beryllium reduced this weekend, but there's plentifulness to look guardant to arsenic we attack information three.

Celtic and Hearts are nan only teams connected maximum points and Aberdeen are nan sole broadside yet to get disconnected nan mark.

The Dons will person to hold to alteration that since they and Hibernian person chosen to postpone visits to Dundee United and Falkirk respectively to attraction connected their European play-offs.

Let's person a person look astatine what's on...

Rangers person made a sticky start, drafting some Premiership games truthful far.

The boos that followed nan caller 1-1 pinch Dundee astatine Ibrox were thing compared to nan large disgruntlement expressed 20 minutes into their Champions League qualifier pinch Club Brugge connected Tuesday arsenic nan Belgians raced into a 3-0 lead, yet leaving Glasgow 3-1 winners.

Not since 1989 person Rangers gone without a triumph successful their first 3 convention outings and caput coach Russell Martin really needs to debar different home gaffe pinch a sojourn from Celtic pursuing nan return limb successful West Flanders.

Meanwhile, Sunday's hosts St Mirren are looking to widen their unbeaten tally against Rangers to 4 matches.

It was 2-2 erstwhile Rangers were past successful Paisley successful April and Stephen Robinson's men struck precocious connected Boxing Day for a 2-1 success.

In between, nan Buddies celebrated their first triumph astatine Ibrox since 1991 to make it back-to-back victories complete nan Govan broadside for nan first clip since nan 1979-80 season.

St Mirren are still waiting for a convention extremity this term, but spirits will beryllium precocious aft knocking Hearts retired of nan Premier Sports Cup connected penalties. And they whitethorn fancy adding to their tally of six goals successful 3 games against Rangers aft League 1 Alloa Athletic struck doubly astatine Ibrox successful nan aforesaid cup competition.

Martin is engaged rebuilding a squad that picked up conscionable 8 Premiership wins connected nan roadworthy past season.

Robinson has a specified fraction of that fund but has continuity, and his skills of organisation person been rewarded pinch 3 successive top-six finishes.

Stuart Findlay sits joint-top of nan Premiership scoring charts, pinch 3 goals.

The cardinal defender is conscionable 1 distant from his champion return successful nan title and could go nan first subordinate to nett successful each of his first 3 top-flight appearances for Hearts since Rudi Skacel successful 2005-06.

He besides nodded location six minutes into his Jambos debut successful nan League Cup against Hamilton Accies.

That cup tally is now over, pinch St Mirren interrupting a tally of six successive victories.

Derek McInnes will beryllium anxious to get backmost connected way astatine location to Motherwell, who person mislaid six of their past 7 convention visits to Tynecastle.

Much has been made of nan analytical attack to recruitment now successful spot successful Gorgie, but nan caput coach did not request immoderate machine information connected 29-year-old Findlay who he made judge followed him from Kilmarnock this summer.

It's adjacent to opportunity much than a fewer Kilmarnock fans were unimpressed erstwhile Stuart Kettlewell was chosen to switch McInnes, but an unbeaten commencement whitethorn good person won complete immoderate doubters.

There's a location necktie against St Mirren to look guardant to successful nan past 8 of nan Premier Sports Cup and Saturday's crippled against Dundee astatine Rugby Park is an opportunity to support up nan feelgood factor.

Killie are unbeaten successful their astir caller six location convention games against nan Dark Blues (W3 D3).

New strikers Marcus Dackers and Djenairo Daniels are some disconnected nan mark, Ben Brannan is nan breakthrough communicative of nan run truthful acold and David Watson is brimming pinch assurance arsenic a first prime successful midfield.

Both of Killie's convention matches person vanished 2-2. A two-goal lead astatine location to Livingston evaporated aft a reddish card, but immoderate questions astir nan team's resilience were answered astatine Easter Road erstwhile they deed backmost from 2-0 down.

Three points connected Saturday would beryllium conscionable nan tonic for a seemingly refreshed Kettlewell, pinch a sojourn to Fir Park adjacent up for nan man who near Motherwell successful January, citing nan strain of individual abuse.

Champions Celtic are astatine location to Livingston connected Saturday and nan West Lothian broadside person ne'er won connected immoderate of their 21 visits successful each competitions (D3 L18).

Celtic person only faced Dumbarton much times astatine location successful their history without losing (26).