Scottish Premiership Weekend Preview
This weekend’s Scottish Premiership matches are spread over three days, coinciding with Thursday's European fixtures and Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final.
Celtic will face St Mirren at Hampden, while Heart of Midlothian has the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the table to six points when they visit Falkirk on Saturday.
Motherwell, currently in third place, can close the gap on the reigning champions when they visit Dundee United. Additionally, Rangers will meet Hibernian on Monday. At the bottom of the table, there is a crucial match between Livingston and Dundee, while Aberdeen will host Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Here are some key highlights to watch for this weekend.
Match of the Weekend - Rangers vs Hibernian (Monday)
Rangers return to domestic action following a challenging Europa League defeat, having lost 2-1 to Ferencvaros in Hungary. Prior to this setback, they had gone six matches unbeaten, winning five of their seven league games under manager Danny Rohl, mirroring their performance in the final 18 games before his arrival, with two draws.
However, they have only secured one victory in their last five matches, raising concerns about their progress since Russell Martin's brief tenure as head coach. Despite returning to Ibrox, where they have drawn their last two matches, they will face a Hibernian side that won 2-0 in their last league visit in April.
Rangers managed to reverse that outcome in a League Cup meeting in September, winning 1-0 in their latest league match at Easter Road. Hibernian, now in fifth place, is two points behind both Motherwell and Rangers. After two defeats, they bounced back with a convincing 3-0 victory over Falkirk last Saturday.
Rohl will be keen to monitor in-form midfielder Josh Mulligan, who has been linked with a Scotland call-up and has drawn interest from Leeds United and Nottingham Forest after joining Hibs from Dundee this summer. Mikey Moore, a bright performer off the bench in Hungary, may earn a starting spot, having scored in both of his last two Premiership appearances.
Defensively, Rohl expects to have Nasser Djiga available for one last match before he departs for the Africa Cup of Nations with Burkina Faso, which is crucial given the injuries to John Souttar and Derek Cornelius. Despite frustrations over the goals conceded in Hungary, Rangers have kept four clean sheets in their last six league games, matching their total from the previous 28 matches.
Hibernian is still awaiting confirmation on whether key players Rocky Bushiri, Jordan Obita, and Miguel Chaiwa will receive clearance from their national teams to play on Monday.
Player to Watch - Claudio Braga (Heart of Midlothian)
Claudio Braga had endured a frustrating five-match goal drought coinciding with Celtic narrowing the gap with Hearts at the top of the Premiership. However, he made a significant comeback last weekend at Celtic Park, scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 victory that restored a three-point lead for Derek McInnes' side over the reigning champions.
The 26-year-old Portuguese forward has now scored more away goals in the Premiership than any other player, netting five of his seven goals on the road. With one assist to his name, he is just one goal involvement behind fellow Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland and Motherwell's Tawanda Maswanhise. McInnes will be hopeful that Braga can continue his momentum after his crucial goal in Glasgow.
This victory marked only Hearts' second win in seven matches, although they have only one loss during that stretch. Braga and Scotland international Shankland could prove vital against a Falkirk side looking to rebound from a 3-0 defeat to Hibs, which ended their five-match unbeaten run. Falkirk has not lost in their last six home games, but only two of those were victories, having previously defeated Hearts 2-0 in the League Cup a year ago when they were in the Championship.
Manager in Spotlight - David Martindale (Livingston)
With Livingston four points adrift at the bottom of the table, Saturday’s match against Dundee is crucial for their hopes of avoiding at least a relegation play-off. Manager David Martindale faces increasing scrutiny as he prepares to enter his sixth year in charge, especially after a disheartening run of 14 games without a win, including three consecutive defeats culminating in a 3-0 loss to Motherwell.
While there is less speculation about Martindale's future compared to the visiting coaches, Steven Pressley and Stuart Kettlewell, whose Kilmarnock side is also struggling, Martindale appears increasingly frustrated and resigned. Despite the winless streak, only Celtic and Hibernian have beaten Livingston by more than a single goal.
Dundee has won their last four encounters, including both of their previous visits to West Lothian two seasons ago, and triumphed 3-2 in the reverse fixture at Dens Park in September. Nevertheless, Martindale is unlikely to alter his tactics, which have led to Livingston registering more high turnovers than all but league leaders Heart of Midlothian this season. Dundee has faced the most goal attempts following high turnovers in the division, matching Falkirk's record.
Pressley’s side is also on a poor run, with only one victory in their last seven matches, including six losses, and have failed to score in their last four games. This presents Martindale with hope that his side can secure their second league win of the season and close the gap at the bottom of the table.