The Scottish Premier League continues on Saturday with a full Christmas Eve fixture list to savour but we are not anticipating too many surprises as the Old Firm look set to continue their winning ways, while there is a tasty treat in store as troubled Hearts host Motherwell.
ST MIRREN V RANGERS (12.45pm)
We’ll start our SPL treble with the earliest clash of the day as Ally McCoist takes his table-topping Gers to St Mirren Park aiming to collect another win to at least maintain their four-point lead over Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Rangers face the Buddies on the back of four wins from their last six away-day games and will fancy their chances of making it five from seven in Paisley on Saturday.
McCoist is boosted by the return of winger Sone Aluko for the game after serving a two-match ban for diving, while defender Dorin Goian is fit following illness.
St Mirren chief Danny Lennon will be hoping his side can emulate their result at Ibrox in October when they held Rangers to a 1-1 draw, although their chances are not helped by the loss of captain Jim Goodwin, who will miss the next three games through suspension.
Hugh Murray could make his long-awaited return after recovering from knee surgery, while Steven Thomson and Lee Mair are fit again.
Their recent home form – two wins and three defeats in the last six – suggests they face an uphill battle to get anything from this game.
Therefore the only way to go is for Rangers to come out on top a lot more comfortably than their last visit to St Mirren Park when they ran out slender 1-0 winners in March.
Prediction: Rangers Away 90 Minutes @ 2/5
Value Bet: Jelavic 1st Goal Rangers 3-1 Scorecast @ 28/1
CELTIC V KILMARNOCK (1.30pm)
Neil Lennon’s in-form Celtic face a trickier test when Kenny Shiels bring his Killie outfit to Parkhead on Saturday afternoon.
The Hoops are in a rich vein of form at the moment having won five and drawn one of their six SPL matches on home soil since being held to a 3-3 draw at Kilmarnock in mid-October.
And, as they look to extend that run this weekend, Lennon is boosted by left-back Emilio Izaguirre’s return from a broken ankle, while Kelvin Wilson and Joe Ledley are also in contention.
However, Glenn Loovens, Kris Commons, Adam Matthews and Daniel Majstorovic are out.
Killie arrive having won two and drawn two of their last four SPL games to sit just outside the top-four places with a game in hand.
Midfielder Dean Shiels will undergo a late fitness test on his injured ankle, James Fowler returns from suspension, but striker William Gros and defender Ryan O’Leary remain on the sidelines.
Killie ground out a 1-1 draw in their last trip to Glasgow last December, but they will have their work cut out to emulate that achievement on Saturday.
Prediction: Celtic Home 90 Minutes @ 1/4
Value Bet: Draw/Celtic HT/FT @ 10/3
HEARTS V MOTHERWELL (1.00pm)
Our third Christmas cracker from the SPL sees troubled Hearts go up against Stuart McCall’s high-flying Motherwell, who are looking destined to finish third in the SPL behind the Old Firm this season.
The cash-strapped Jambos go into the Tynecastle showdown with a myriad of problems to contend with as boss Paulo Sergio is without midfielder Ryan Stevenson, who is set to sit out over his ongoing frustrations with events at the club.
Winger Andrew Driver also told Sergio he no longer wanted to be considered for selection last week, but could make a U-turn and play in the match.
David Templeton could miss out following illness, while defenders Danny Grainger, Darren Barr and long-term absentees Kevin Kyle, Gary Glen and Suso Santana remain out.
Due to the off-the-field problems it is no surprise that Hearts’ home form has been patchy of late with three wins and three defeats in their last six outings.
Motherwell come into the game on a real high with a return of five wins and one defeat from the last six on the road, with 12 goals scored in the process.
However, their hopes of success on Saturday have been hit by the loss of influential skipper Steve Jennings, who has received a retrospective two-match ban from the Scottish Football Association following a clash with St Mirren’s Jim Goodwin last weekend.
Long-term injury victim Steven Saunders (Achilles) is the only other player on the sidelines.
The last meeting at Tynecastle produced a thrilling 3-3 draw, while Motherwell have won two and drawn two of their previous four games in Edinburgh.
It is an interesting clash as we feel it could be another stalemate, although don’t be shocked if Motherwell take advantage of Hearts’ problems and just come out on top.
Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 9/4
Value Bet: 2-2 Draw Correct Score @ 14/1
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Three of the top four in the Premier League are in action on Sunday on what is a pre-festive treat for armchair fans and punters alike. Here we preview the games.
The Spainsh La Liga and Italian Serie A are getting close to their winter breaks now. In Spain the top flight will resume on January 8 after this weekend’s round of fixtures, while Italy takes a break after a full programme on December 21.
The games come thick and fast over the festive period and there is another full programme across Tuesday and Wednesday, weather permitting of course, and with so many games in such a short space of time a few shocks tend to crop up so here are five potential shocks for your consideration.