Ladbrokes Premiership: Aberdeen to end goal wait with Partick win
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So far it’s been a season of away delight and home hurt in the Ladbrokes Premiership, with the 11 fixtures over the first two weekends treating us to seven different away victories.
However, that’s all set to change this weekend, with Rangers gathering momentum, Aberdeen’s goal drought likely to end and Celtic facing a tricky trip to the division’s comeback specialists. Here’s our preview of a stellar weekend of fixtures…
Dundee v Hamilton Academical
This pair have enjoyed – or perhaps endured – a mixed start to the Ladbrokes Premiership campaign. The Dees won at Ross County before a rare home loss, while Accies followed up a stellar point at Ibrox with defeat to Kilmarnock.
With both sides showing glimpses of promise and frailties in league and cup, a draw seems the best bet here, especially when you consider that this fixture has produced five draws since the start of 2012, including two in their last five meetings.
Best Bet: Draw @ 5/2
Aberdeen v Partick Thistle
Derek McInnes’ Dons have been solid in defence in the opening weekends but have failed to sparkle, with drab 0-0 draws against St Johnstone and Heart of Midlothian.
However, you can’t keep a good strikeforce down for long, and with the likes of Adam Rooney, Jayden Stockley and Niall McGinn at their disposal, Aberdeen should muster up a goal at some point.
As for Thistle, this certainly isn’t a fixture they fare well in. They’ve scored just once in six meetings with the Dons, taking just two points in the process. The hosts are hardly on fire, but they’re likely to grind out a low-scoring win here.
Ross County v Kilmarnock
Killie continued their sparkling record against Hamilton Academical last weekend, but they face a tougher test this time out in the form of a Staggies side who produced a masterful 3-2 away win at Inverness Caledonian Thistle last weekend.
And history is certainly on the Staggies side, having won their last six meetings against Lee Clark’s men, including a 4-0 demolition of Killie at Rugby Park last season.
However, the East Ayrshire side have managed to find the net in seven of their last 10 outings against the Highland club, so County could well ship a goal or two en route to victory.
Best Bet: Ross County to win and BTTS @ 13/5
St Johnstone v Celtic
Tommy Wright’s men are the comeback kings of Scottish football right now, having clawed their way from behind to claim victory against Hearts and Motherwell in the opening weekends.
And their last meeting with Celtic saw the Sainties turn around a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 at McDiarmid Park. Couple that with the Hoops facing an energy-sapping Champions League fixture in midweek, and backing the hosts to win from behind here could offer sensational value.
Rangers v Motherwell
The Gers got their first slice of revenge back for the 2014-15 play-off defeat to Motherwell with August’s 2-0 League Cup triumph at Fir Park, and they’re set to cause more misery for Mark McGhee’s men on Saturday.
Having conceded seven times in their last two outings, the Well are looking distinctly frail at the back – and that will be music to the ears of Kenny Miller, Joe Dodoo and Harry Forrester, who opened the scoring at Dundee last weekend.
Heart of Midlothian v Inverness CT
Both Hearts and Caley Thistle are looking to kickstart a League campaign which has seen the pair pick up a solitary point combined. But a share of the spoils looks the most likely outcome in this one.
Three of the last five clashes have ended as a draw, with two of those ending 0-0. In fact, we’ve not seen more than one side score in any of the last four meetings, meaning that a goalless bore draw looks to be the best bet at Tynecastle this weekend.
Best Bet: 0-0 draw @ 17/2
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
