Celtic and Rangers will claim narrow wins
The Old Firm have stumbled a few times of late, giving the likes of Hearts, Motherwell, Inverness and now Hibernian the opportunity to shine. Will the Old Firm both see off tricky opponents this weekend? Will those fighting to finish third maintain their fine form? Here's what we think...
Kilmarnock v Rangers (12pm, ESPN)
Rangers bounced back from the November 10 shocker when, for the first time in three-and-a-half years, the Old Firm duo lost SPL games on the same day, with victory over Aberdeen, however this is a tougher test with Kilmarnock unbeaten in four. The Gers are yet to drop a point on their travels though, so have to be fancied at [1.54]. For slightly longer odds, back both teams to score at [1.86].
Hearts v Hamilton
Hamilton's struggles are a surprise after their seventh-place finish last year, but there's no sign of any real improvement. Billy Reid will be comforted by the fact they hit form after Christmas in their first two seasons, yet Hearts are soaring at the moment and are therefore difficult to oppose at [1.63].
Aberdeen v St Johnstone
Mark McGhee has survived four straight defeats, but reports suggest a fifth will signal the end of his tenure at Pittodrie. St Johnstone have lost four in a row themselves, while the Dons have beaten three of the four sides nearest to them, so we're contentiously putting faith in the hosts at [2.36].
Celtic v Dundee United
Last year's best of the rest have been the perfect mid-table club so far, averaging 0.2 points a match against those above them and 2.13 against those below. That points to a fruitless trip to Parkhead at [1.29], though as their games are usually tight, we like Dundee United +1.5 on the Asian Handicap at [2.05].
Inverness CT v Hibernian
Terry Butcher's men continue to impress on their top-flight return, however they've only won once at home, indicating that improving Hibernian have a good chance of building on triumphs over high-flying Rangers and Motherwell to close the seven-point gap between the teams. Back Hibs at [3.3].
St Mirren v Motherwell
Perennial relegation battlers St Mirren have picked up a few wins recently but are still perilously close to the bottom and the primary reason is that they regularly fail to deliver against the division's stronger sides. They've lost all six clashes against the top five, so bet that they flop again at [2.28].
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Published: 19 Nov 2010
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