We preview week 19 of the Scottish Premier League as with all of the round’s matches set to get underway on Saturday 23 December.
Hold on to your hats! Last week, in a surprising twist, Celtic actually tasted defeat, being dismantled by Hearts at Tynecastle Park. The Bhoys are primed for a comeback this weekend when they face Aberdeen in the standout fixture of the weekend.
Meanwhile, Rangers will be eager to recover from their recent setback as they head off to Kilmarnock, while bottom-placed Partick Thistle look to claw their way up when they host Hamilton.
Saturday 23 December
Kilmarnock 38/10 | Draw 29/10 | Rangers 6/10
Kilmarnock are just two points shy of the top six after a gutsy 1-0 win against Motherwell at Rugby Park last weekend. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, with keeper Jamie MacDonald making some brilliant saves to keep his side in the game. Under Steve Clarke, Killie are unbeaten in their last four games and will relish taking on Rangers this weekend.
Rangers, on the other hand, suffered a footballing lesson at Ibrox courtesy of Motherwell. An early strike by Alfredo Morelos gave Rangers the lead, but they crumbled, conceding three unanswered goals due to some disappointing defending. Last week’s defeat ended a sequence of four straight wins for Rangers, missing the chance to capitalise on Celtic’s slip-up. I reckon Rangers will edge this one – just by the skin of their teeth.
St. Johnstone 19/10 | Draw 21/10 | Hearts 29/20
St. Johnstone impressed last week by ripping apart Rangers at Ibrox. Steve Robinson will hope this victory sparks consistency as they challenge the league’s big guns.
Hearts have been the giant killers of week 18, famously ending Celtic’s 69-game unbeaten league run with a 4-0 demolition. This third consecutive victory puts Hearts in pole position to leapfrog Hibs into fifth. Tough call, but I’m backing Hearts to just nick it. Tip: away win at 29/20.
Celtic 7/20 | Draw 15/4 | Aberdeen 13/2
Celtic’s midweek clash against Partick Thistle is yet to be played at the time of writing, so it’s hard to comment fully. However, Aberdeen took full advantage of Celtic’s dropped points with a commanding 4-1 win over Hibs last weekend. This boosted them to second place, just three points adrift of Brendan Rodgers’ squad. Expect Celtic to bounce back and secure the win here at 7/20.
Hibernian 5/10 | Draw 31/10 | Ross County 47/10
Hibs’ great mid-season form has stalled badly, with only one win in the last six matches, including a heavy defeat by Aberdeen. They have the chance to rebound this weekend against struggling Ross County.
Ross County have an ongoing six-match drought, recently losing to fellow strugglers Hamilton. Their survival worries persist. Hibs’ flair in the final third should prove too much, making the home win at 5/10 appealing.
Partick Thistle 13/10 | Draw 9/4 | Hamilton 39/20
Another uncertain fixture as Partick Thistle’s midweek match is yet to happen. Currently, they sit at the bottom, scoring the fewest and conceding the most goals. It’s hard to see anything other than an away win here.
Motherwell 23/20 | Draw 23/10 | Dundee 9/4
We wrap up the weekend with Motherwell versus Dundee. Motherwell have struggled recently with four straight losses but seemed unlucky not to at least draw against Kilmarnock last weekend.
Dundee came back strong after two defeats with a straightforward 3-0 win over Partick Thistle last weekend. They’ve turned their form around after a poor start, with Neil McCann confident in his side’s chances. Another away win looks on the cards – back Dundee.
