Sports Blog 27/07/2015: Match Preview – Scottish Premiership 2015/16 Opening Weekend, Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd August 2015

Whilst English football fans might have to wait a bit longer, their Gaelic cousins only have a few days left before the Scottish Premiership 2015/15 begins this weekend!

Of course, a discussion of Scottish football is nothing without a discussion about Celtic, who kick off the new season on Saturday against Ross Country at 12.45pm on Sky Sports 1. Easily odds on favourites to win the title for the 5th year in a row at 1/20, Celtic are sitting on a Season Points spread of 90-92 compared to the 92 haul they had accrued by the end of the 2014/15 season. That saw Celtic win the Scottish Premiership by 17 points clear, a fear they complimented with a victory in the League Cup. Pre-season has being going well for the Hoops, with 4 wins and a loss in their July friendlies, as well as a 6-1 aggregate win over the Icelandic champions Stjarnan in the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League, setting up a 3rd round match on Wednesday against Qarabag.

The Hoops’ key acquisition in pre-season has been Nadir Ciftci, Dundee United’s 2014/15 top scorer with 14 goals, a move that both bolsters Celtic’s frontline as well as, perhaps almost as importantly, damaging the strike force of one of its rivals. Ciftci joins Leigh Griffiths, Celtic’s 2014/15 top scorer, also with 14 goals, in the league alongside Players’ Player of the Year Stefan Johansen who nabbed 13 goals from midfield in all competitions last season. Then there is the fairy-tale story of goalkeeper Craig Gordon: after spending a year as a free agent in 2012/13, Gordon joined Celtic at the start of last season. Cut to the following May, and Gordon has helped Celtic to the title, been recalled to the Scottish national team AND been awarded the SFWA Footballer of the Year award.



Ross County had a slightly different season, to put it mildly; finishing 9th with 44 points they also then exited the Scottish Cup in the fourth round and the League Cup in third. This disappointing season has left Ross Co with 1000/1 fixed odds to win the 2015/16 title, alongside a Season Points spread of 40-42. Coming up against Celtic on the first day of the season is always going to be tough, and the Hoops are expected to walk to a victory with a Celtic/Ross Co Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 2.2-2.4 alongside a Total Goals spread of 3.2-3.4.

Sunday then sees two games that, away from the (at least Scottish) lime-light hogging nature of Celtic, are tougher to call. First up sees a newly-promoted Hearts take on St Johnstone at 12.30pm on BT Sport 1. Following their 2013/14 relegation, something that still couldn’t have been avoided even if the 15 points due to the side slipping into administration hadn’t been deducted, the Jam Tarts roared back into the Scottish Premiership by finishing atop the Championship by 11 points. It meant they only had to suffer one season away from the Scottish top-flight, as well as helping deny Rangers promotion back to the Premiership. Despite being newly promoted Hearts sit third on both the fixed odds list to win the title, at 50/1, and the Season Points table, with a spread of 55-57.

St Johnstone had a decent season in 2014/15, finishing 4th with 57 points, only one point ahead of Dundee United. A quarter-final finish in the League Cup was respectable, whilst a 5th round exit in the Scottish Cup was slightly less impressive. Given the nature of Scottish football, it is hardly surprising that the team that finished 4th the season before could be at 200/1 to win the title, with a Season Points spread of 51-53. Hearts are expected to win their first game back in the top flight, if only just, and sit at a Hearts/St Johnstone Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 0.3-0.5 with a Total Goals spread of 2.25-2.45 with a Dundee United vs Aberdeen



Finally, Aberdeen take on Dundee United at 3.30pm in the first New Firm derby of the season. United finished in 5th in 2014/15 ahead of city rivals Dundee FC in 6th; a difference in position that perhaps flatters the latter given the gap of 11 points that sat between the 2 sides. Dundee United were also beaten League Cup finalists, eventually losing to Celtic 2-0. Frustratingly, as mentioned Dundee have lost their top scorer from last season, Nadir Ciftci, to the champions, so it will be interesting to see how they cope with that absence up front. Dundee United sit at 250/1 to win the title with a Season Points spread of 46-48.

Perhaps the only realistic challenger to Celtic’s dominance, Aberdeen have a fixed odds price of 25/1 and a Season Points spread of 63-65 after finishing 2nd with 75 points in 2014/15. They actually lost to Dundee United in the League Cup semi-finals last season, but have been impressive so far in the off-season, reaching the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League, with a match against Kairat on Thursday. Despite the potential for fatigue, the Dons are narrowly expected to win the first game of the season at an Aberdeen/Dundee United Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 0.4-0.6 with a Total Goals spread of 2.25-2.45.