Scottish Premiership: Derby battle, unbeaten runs & league struggles

There is a full Scottish Premiership card to look forward to this weekend, with two games live on Sky Sports.

The Sky Sports cameras will be at Easter Road and Fir Park on Sunday as Hibernian host Hearts and Motherwell face Celtic, and every other match will be covered on Sky Sports News and in our live blog on the Sky Sports app and website.

We take a look at what’s at stake this weekend…

What’s live on Sky?

Sunday 27th October 11:00am


Kick off 12:00pm

It’s the first Edinburgh derby of the season as the Premiership’s bottom two meet at Easter Road.

Hearts moved above their rivals last weekend as new head coach Neil Critchley guided them to their first league win of the season, while Hibs’ late collapse saw them lose to Dundee United.

David Gray insists there is no crisis in Leith and he will be hoping his fresh squad can take advantage of some tired Hearts legs after their impressive Conference League win over Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia on Thursday night.

Hibs did fail to beat the Jambos last season with two draws and a defeat in the derby.

The Sky cameras will then be at Fir Park as Motherwell host Celtic with Stuart Kettlewell demanding a reaction after they failed to impress against Dundee last time out.

Brendan Rodgers’ side saw their winning league start ended by Aberdeen, but they remain undefeated and victory in Lanarkshire will ensure they stay top.

Celtic claimed a hard-fought Champions League draw away to Atalanta in midweek and Motherwell will be hoping that has taken its toll as they look for their first win against the Hoops since 2015.

Sunday 27th October 2:30pm


Kick off 3:00pm

Can Rangers continue the feel good factor?

Philippe Clement insisted Rangers’ hunger in their convincing 4-0 Europa League win over FCSB was fuelled by being “sick of losing”.

And he will be hoping his players keep that desire when they return to Premiership action against St Mirren after they were booed off the pitch following their defeat to Kilmarnock which saw them drop six points behind in the title race.

Stephen Robinson, who signed a new deal on Thursday, said his St Mirren side “reset our thinking” after their disappointing defeat at Hearts.

The manager has admitted results have not been good enough as they chase another top-six finish, but can they win at Ibrox for the first time since 1992?

Will Goodwin return to Aberdeen to end impressive run?

Jim Goodwin returns to Pittodrie for the first time since being sacked as Aberdeen boss in 2023 hoping his Dundee United side can continue their strong return to the top-flight.

It will be a challenge against the Dons who remain unbeaten under Jimmy Thelin and will be buoyed by their impressive fightback at Celtic Park last weekend.

Aberdeen have won their last seven home league games while United are unbeaten on the road this season, so it should be a competitive encounter.

Jamie McGrath’s six assists for Aberdeen are the most by a player in his side’s first eight Scottish Premiership matches of a season since the competition rebranded in 2013.

Can Dundee or St Johnstone make it two in a row?

Dundee ended their dismal run of no wins in six with an impressive showing at Motherwell and Tony Dochery is urging his players to back that up when they return to Dens Park.

Simo Valakari picked up his first win at St Johnstone head coach last weekend and should take his place in the dugout for the first time.

While Dundee are looking for back-to-back league wins for the first time since March, St Johnstone are looking for two straight victories for the first time since November 2022.

Benjamin Kimpioka has scored four goals in seven league games for St Johnstone this season, surpassing his tally for the club in the whole of last season.

Will Staggies stop Killie?

It has been a tough season for Ross County but they are unbeaten in their last seven Premiership home games against Kilmarnock.

The Staggies have though only secured one win in their last 12 league games, suffering defeat in their last two.

Derek McInnes will be looking for Killie to build on their shock victory against Rangers to secure three straight wins in the Premiership for the first time since October 2020.

Marley Watkins has scored in three of his last four league appearances, with those goals worth four points to Kilmarnock.

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