Celtic visit Motherwell live on Sky Sports on Sunday from 11am, seeking a first win in four games; Rangers host Kilmarnock aiming to go top; Marink Reedijk’s Hibernian visit Dundee Utd; Hearts play St Mirren, Falkirk take on Dundee and Aberdeen face St Johnstone The Scottish Premiership is back after a three-week break, and that means so are a host of fascinating subplots across the top flight. While 74-year-old Martin O’Neill remains Celtic manager after a period of self-reflection, there is a new man in charge at Hibs – 35-year-old Marink Reedijk. Meanwhile, Derek McInnes is hoping to lead Rangers to top spot for the first time and others like St Mirren and Motherwell know positive starts will be undone, should they record four defeats in a row. Here, we take a look at the big talking points ahead of the weekend… Celtic went into the international break on the back of three defeats, two to rivals Rangers and the other in the Europa League.
It left boss Martin O’Neill considering his future and supporters wondering what lay ahead. The 74-year-old said it didn’t take him long to realise he was still up for the challenge of landing the club’s sixth consecutive league title, and he was publicly backed by chief executive Michael Nicholson too. However, for all his legendary status at the club, O’Neill knows he must deliver again if he is to retain the support of those in the stands. For all that fans have protested against the club’s board over transfers and the like – they still expect results.
Even if those protests went 72 miles east of Celtic Park during the break, as some supporters threw tennis balls towards principal shareholder Dermot Desmond while he was playing golf at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Five tricky tests await in the coming weeks, starting with Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday – live on Sky Sports. Celtic last suffered four consecutive defeats under Wilfried Nancy last year, a record that had not been matched since 1978. O’Neill knows he must again rewrite the record books for the right reasons, not the wrong.
Three points on Sunday is the starting place to deliver that. While Celtic have hit a bump in the road after an impressive start, Rangers had to recover from some early teething issues under Derek McInnes before picking up key wins. The Rangers boss failed to win his first four games in charge and soon after saw the Ibrox side knocked out of Europe by Jablonec. However, returning from the international break, Rangers have their sights on going top of the Scottish Premiership for the first time this season.
A new-look squad has racked up six consecutive wins across all competitions and McInnes knows that must continue against one of his former clubs on Saturday as Kilmarnock head to Govan. Victory would take Rangers to the summit, albeit for perhaps only 24 hours, should Celtic then respond against Motherwell on Sunday. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player However, it would mark another step in the right direction after a summer that saw the squad overhauled and slowly grow in belief in a quest to land Rangers their first Premiership title since 2021. Click here for more on the inside story of the club’s summer window and why Ibrox chiefs hope it could pave the path to glory.
The Easter Road club went into the break on the search for a new boss after sacking David Gray following their defeat to Kilmarnock. Eight days after parting ways with their Scottish Cup-winning captain, Marink Reedijk was appointed. At 35, he is the youngest manager in the top flight and arrives from SK Beveren, where he won the Belgian second-tier title with an unbeaten campaign. Reedijk, who has also worked in academy positions at Ajax and West Bromwich Albion, took the team to Spain for a training camp during the break and described it as a “pre-season on steroids”.
His training sessions appear to be intense and he will be hoping for a reaction on Saturday when they head to Dundee United. Hibs are winless in four Premiership games, 10th in the table and just two points clear of bottom side Kilmarnock. Reedijk, and the fans, will hope the only way is up. Heading into the international window, some sides were perhaps looking forward to the break.
Both Motherwell and St Mirren had suffered three straight league defeats after promising starts under Alfred Johansson and Craig McLeish, respectively. However, it doesn’t get much easier as the champions head to Fir Park – live on Sky Sports – while the Buddies travel to face Hearts. Dundee meanwhile have seen their injury list grow, meaning the free agent market could be used to boost boss Steven Pressley’s depleted squad. Captain Simon Murray, Jack Moorhouse and Finlay Robertson, are all out with ACL injuries, plus there are a raft of others also on the sidelines.
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