Another intriguing weekend of Scottish Premiership football is upon us. Here are the main talking points ahead of the latest fixture card.
Game of the Round – Dundee United vs Aberdeen
Tannadice hosts the first New Firm derby of the 26/27 season on Saturday afternoon as Aberdeen travel to the City of Discovery looking to record back-to-back victories for the first time this campaign ahead of a League Cup semi-final against Rangers next weekend at Hampden.
Jim Goodwin will be hoping his Dundee United side can make it five matches without defeat as the former Aberdeen manager prepares to face his old club.
After a slow start to the season, Dundee United have started to show signs of improvement with recent performances, with victories over St Mirren and Hibernian taking them into the top half of the table.
14 new faces were brought in at Tannadice across the summer window, and they now have the makings of a strong squad that can compete for a top-six spot. The arrivals of Zidane Iqbal, Lyall Cameron and Dylan Tait in particular have formed a new-look midfield three, providing a creative outlet for Goodwin’s men.
United fought hard to earn a point away from home against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park last time out in a 1-1 draw. Lyall Cameron, who is on loan from fellow Premiership side Rangers, equalised in the later stages of the game and will hope to have an influence against his previous club.
Both teams are separated by a single point, with Stephen Robinson’s Aberdeen arriving in Dundee after returning to winning ways last weekend at Pittodrie with a 3-1 win over St Mirren.
Goals from Brad Lyons, Kevin Nisbet and Ayoub Mouloua gave the Dons a much-needed three points on home soil. Prior to this, Aberdeen had been winless domestically at home since a dramatic 2-1 victory over Hearts on the opening day of the league campaign.
Much has been made of Aberdeen’s lack of consistency so far having struggled to put together a sustained run of results.
After defeating Hearts at Pittodrie at the start of August, the next victory came midway through September away to Motherwell in a dominant 4-0 triumph at Fir Park, a result which was followed up with a draw away to a struggling Hibs side before a home defeat to St Johnstone, as their unpredictable form continued.
Saturday is the start of a huge week for Aberdeen, with Falkirk at Pittodrie to come next Wednesday before a semi-final clash with Rangers.
Player Spotlight – Greg Kiltie
Greg Kiltie played a crucial role in Kilmarnock’s 3-2 victory over Motherwell at Rugby Park last weekend, scoring twice in a five-goal thriller, helping lift the Ayrshire club off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership table whilst securing a vital first home victory of the season.
This result was a long-awaited three points in front of the Rugby Park support for manager Neil McCann. It has been a challenging start to the campaign for Kiltie and the rest of his Kilmarnock teammates, but they now face Falkirk at the Falkirk Stadium on Saturday afternoon, keen to build on another positive display.
The Kilmarnock captain is likely to keep his place in the starting eleven, and Neil McCann will be relying on one of his key attacking players to step up once more.
Team Spotlight – Motherwell
Motherwell made a promising start under new boss Alfred Johansson, reaching the playoff round of the UEFA Conference League by comfortably beating HB Tórshavn of the Faroe Islands over two legs and overcoming Finnish side HJK Helsinki, but were eventually knocked out by last season’s Europa League finalists Freiburg.
The Steelmen enjoyed a campaign to remember last season under Jens Berthel Askou, securing a fourth-placed finish on the final day of the season away to Hibs at Easter Road.
European football also returned to Fir Park for the first time in four years, but losing in the summer, along with several pivotal players who were instrumental to how they performed, has evidently had a noticeable effect this season.
A defeat to Kilmarnock in their last outing means it is now five consecutive defeats in a row for Alfred Johansson, who is without a win since the beginning of September, with pressure continuing to grow on the Swede.
It doesn’t get any easier for Johansson or Motherwell, as they face a tough match at home to Hearts on Sunday afternoon before a midweek trip to Perth to play St Johnstone.
Despite a difficult period of results, Johansson has insisted he won’t change his philosophy and has praised his players for staying professional despite a poor run of form.
Sunday’s meeting between Motherwell and Hearts is shaping up to be an interesting match-up and presents a chance for Motherwell to put an end to their current losing run.
