Domestic football returns in Scotland on Saturday after an extended international break that felt more like a mini-close season just as the Scottish Premiership was getting warmed up. All 12 top-flight teams are back in action this weekend, and managers have had extra time to prepare. The card raises questions about momentum, a new manager and how the champions respond to recent setbacks.
Rangers went into the break with six straight wins. Derek McInnes’ squad may have benefited from rest and recuperation, but with confidence high, the momentum built from those wins could be difficult to recapture straight away. Kilmarnock are Saturday’s visitors to Ibrox, seeking to become the first away league side to score there since early August. Neil McCann’s side received a boost before the break with positive domestic results, including a win away to Hibernian and draws with Aberdeen and last season’s runners-up Hearts. The duel between former Rangers and Scotland team-mates McInnes and McCann adds another layer.
Hibs begin a new era on Saturday when Marink Reedijk takes charge of the team for the first time, away to Dundee United at Tannadice. The Dutchman may have preferred a home opener, but he should have a decent travelling support. Hibs sit third bottom of the league, a point above Falkirk and two above Kilmarnock. Reedijk has not had the benefit of a transfer window, having joined late last month. David Gray left behind a squad with plenty of Premiership experience and one or two exciting young talents, such as striker Owen Elding. What the 35-year-old will bring to the division will become clearer on Saturday evening, but he has promised ‘brave, intense and committed’ football, with Leith watching closely.
Hearts’ season has come a cropper in recent weeks with a defeat in Falkirk and a draw away to Kilmarnock. Hardly a crisis, but Wouter Vrancken’s side will not want the stutter to continue when St Mirren visit Tynecastle on Saturday. The Paisley side had a buoyant start to the season but have struggled over their past three games, losing on each occasion. If Hearts drop more points, not only St Mirren are close by but also Dundee. Steven Pressley’s side went into the break with a morale-boosting win over Motherwell, and they, like St Mirren, are three points off Hearts. Dundee are on the road against Falkirk on Saturday, meeting a side going through a mini-revival after dropped points during a transitional phase at the start of the campaign.
Celtic have lost their past three fixtures in all competitions, including league and cup losses to Rangers. Martin O’Neill’s defending champions are two points clear at the top of the table, and their Sunday trip to face Motherwell at Fir Park has a dual focus. Stopping the rot and getting back to winning ways will be the priority, but the match also serves as a warm-up for Thursday’s Europa League trip to face Benfica in Lisbon. Motherwell are not in great form themselves, having also lost three on the bounce. Losses to Rangers, Aberdeen and Dundee have brought an encouraging start to a halt for Alfred Johansson’s side. One positive result could change that, and the Steelmen caused Celtic problems last season.
The final fixture of the weekend pitches Aberdeen against St Johnstone at Pittodrie, with both sides sitting on eight points after seven games and Saints a little better off on goals scored. It is a first meeting in the top flight for these two in more than a year. Both went into the break in decent form: the Dons are unbeaten in four, while St Johnstone struck late to pick up a point at home to Falkirk. With at least one of Hearts and St Mirren dropping points on Saturday, Sunday presents a real opportunity for either Aberdeen or St Johnstone to get closer to those above them in the table.