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After the excitement of Rangers’ Champions League adventures in Manchester, we look ahead to the fixtures over the weekend as domestic league action resumes. With Celtic and Rangers leading the table, the season is beginning to take on a familiar pattern.

Inverness Caley Thistle v Hearts

We start the weekend preview away up north in Inverness, where Caley Thistle take on Hearts. Thistle, managed by former England player Terry Butcher, are currently enjoying their second spell in the SPL having been promoted as First Division champions at the end of last season. Hearts will be looking to put last week’s 3-0 defeat to Celtic behind them, a defeat that saw the Edinburgh side lose their unbeaten run of form.

It was a game filled with controversy, and one which has left Hearts manager Jim Jefferies facing an SFA disciplinary committee following his outbursts during and after the game - Jefferies claimed (incorrectly, as it turned out) that Celtic’s first goal was offside. He’s since apologised, but a two match ban beckons. Caley’s last win against Hearts was back in 2007, the intervening five fixtures all having been won by Hearts - expect that form to continue tomorrow.

Hibernian v Hamilton

Hibernian’s season continues to struggle for form. Last season John Hughes’ side were candidates for second spot in the league before a slump in form saw them finish fourth, but so far the points have been hard to come by, their only win so far coming against Motherwell back in August. Without a victory at home so far, they’ll be looking to change that with a win against Hamilton Accies at Easter Road tomorrow.

Accies fans will admit that conceding eight goals in your first two games is not the best way to get the season going, and a defeat against First Division opposition in the League Cup (against Raith Rovers) just piles on the misery. That things appear to be on the mend can be seen in the narrow 2-1 defeat to Rangers last weekend in which Accies showed the kind of battling form that saw them exceed expectations last season to finish comfortably in midtable.

Last season these two teams scored thirteen goals between them in their three fixtures, with Accies just coming out on top with two wins. Given the form of both of these sides right now, I don’t expect much in the way of goals. A draw seems likely.

Motherwell v Aberdeen

The two sides in third and fourth meet up for an interesting fixture. Motherwell welcome third-placed Aberdeen to Fir Park, hoping to record their first win at home this season. The Steelmen’s European adventure (their third in consecutive seasons) came to an early end against Danish side Odense in the Europa League qualifiers, something of a disappointment no doubt to manager Craig Brown who had hoped to improve on last season’s European campaign, when Motherwell where knocked out at the same stage.

Aberdeen’s season has so far seen much improvement from the disaster of last term. Mark McGhee (incidentally poached from Motherwell before the start of the 2009/10 season) has spent wisely over the summer to put together a strong side that should do well this season.

An impressive start saw the Dons lead the table for the first two weeks, the first time since 1986 that an Aberdeen side topped the SPL. McGhee will hope that last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to ‘New Firm’ rivals Dundee United was a blip (United scored all three goals in the first nine minutes) that won’t be repeated against his former side tomorrow, but it’s hard to see anything other than a draw coming out of this fixture.

Rangers v Dundee United

Speaking of United, Peter Houston’s team travel west to Glasgow to take on defending champions Rangers. United are another team finding the new season a bit of a struggle. Their first win of the campaign came last week against Aberdeen, but defeats to teams that last season would not have troubled United (including a 4-0 thumping at home to Caley) are to be avoided if the Dundee side want to continue the good work that saw them finish 3rd.

Rangers put in a solid performance in Manchester last week in the first group game of the Champions League. Holding Manchester United to a nil-nil was probably better than most pundits expected, given the perceived state of the game north of the border. Walter Smith is in his last year at the club, so the pressure is on to deliver a final title before he hands the reigns over to Ally McCoist.

With last season’s top scorer Kris Boyd joining Gordon Strachan at Middlesbrough and more players leaving than joining (James Beattie joined from Stoke, and Vladimir Weiss was taken on loan from under the noses of Celtic), retaining their title will probably not be such plain sailing this year as last.

St Johnstone v St Mirren

St Johnstone were arguably one of the more entertaining sides last season, scoring freely (only Rangers, Celtic and Hibs scored more) but conceding goals with the same reckless abandon at the other end, watching a St Johnstone game was always exciting. But this season Saints have still to win a game in the league, the 1-1 draw on the opening day against Hearts their solitary point.

The other Saints, St Mirren, travel to Perth looking for their second win of the season. Following the sacking of Gus McPherson at the end of last season, the Buddies are managed by former Cowdenbeath manager Danny Lennon, who has brought many of his former players with him from the First Division. There are many St Mirren fans with clenched buttocks wondering how this approach could not result in anything other than a heavy mauling every week, but the 4-0 defeat to Celtic aside (in itself nothing to be ashamed of), so far the policy appears to be working. Nevertheless, it’s going to be another long hard season down in Paisley.

Kilmarnock v Celtic (Sunday)

It’s very early in the season, but already I’m considering changing the predictions I made back in August. I had Killie down as near certain relegation candidates. Practically broke, hemorrhaging players and managers (Jim Jefferies, the SPL’s longest serving manager jumped ship to Hearts, and his successor Jimmy Calderwood failed to get the money he needed to keep the club in the league), their SPL survival was only guaranteed on the final day of last season.

Former Bolton and Wolves players Mixu Paateleinen was brought in to replace Jimmy Calderwood and many (including me) thought that certain relegation was only a season away. That Killie are even winning comes as a surprise, and they go into Sundays game against Celtic in fifth place on the back of two good wins against Aberdeen and St Mirren.

Celtic currently lead the table on goal difference from Rangers. Neil Lennon, now in his first full season in charge having done enough at the tail-end of last season to get the job full-time, has practically brought in a new team over the summer - Anthony Stokes, Daryl Murphy and Joe Ledley should be familiar names to readers from south of the border - and for now at least the results keep coming in: four wins from four, nine goals scored, only one conceded.

Without the distraction of European football, Lennon can now focus on stopping Rangers from winning their third title in-a-row, and anything less than victory in this game is just not acceptable. Expect goals in this one, as Celtic romp to victory.

Predictions

Inverness Caley v Hearts (away win)
Hibernian v Hamilton (draw)
Motherwell v Aberdeen (draw)
Rangers v Dundee United (home win)
St Johnstone v St Mirren (home win)
Kilmarnock v Celtic (away win)

Tags: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Hamilton, Hearts, Hibernian, Inverness Caley, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Rangers, SPL, St Johnstone, St Mirren