Ladbrokes Premiership: In-form Aberdeen man to open the scoring

Last weekend was a difficult one for both halves of the Old Firm, with Celtic and Rangers dropping points in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

And the Gers’ mini-wobble could well continue when they head to Pittodrie to face an in-form Aberdeen side with an on-fire Niall McGinn, while the Hoops face a stubborn Kilmarnock side.

There’s plenty of action elsewhere, as Ross County head to Edinburgh and Inverness Caledonian Thistle look to continue their superb record against Dundee. So here are our pick of the bets for this weekend’s action.

Partick Thistle v Motherwell

The Jags lie bottom of the table with just a point to show for their last four Ladbrokes Premiership outings, while Motherwell are unbeaten in three and put four past Hamilton Academical in a straightforward win at Fir Park last weekend.

With Thistle having trailed at half-time in four of their last five games and Motherwell netting three within 25 minutes against Accies last weekend, expect the visitors to score early and stay ahead.

Best Bet: HT: Motherwell / FT: Motherwell @ 9/2

Heart of Midlothian v Ross County

Hearts’ run of three successive wins was somehow ended last weekend despite their total dominance of play in the 1-0 defeat at St Johnstone. But they’re likely to get back to winning ways today against a Staggies side winless in their last three.

Having netted eight times in their last two home games, Robbie Neilson’s men are a nightmare for opposition defences. But Hearts are prone to leaking a goal, having failed to keep a clean sheet since mid-August. Expect them to come out on top in a high-scoring encounter.

Best Bet: Hearts to win and BTTS @ 5/2

Celtic v Kilmarnock

The Hoops boast a wealth of top attacking talent, with the likes of Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele up front, but they’ve found Killie’s resolute defence tough to break down in recent meetings.

The last two meetings between these two have produced just a single goal – Tom Rogic’s injury-time cracker at Rugby Park back in March. That means the whopping odds of 28/1 for this one to finish 0-0 looks like brilliant value.

Best Bet: 0-0 Draw @ 28/1

Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Dundee

The Caley Jags have quite the record in this fixture, having gone undefeated in their last 15 meetings with the Dee, with a 4-0 win in the last clash between these two, and a pair of 4-1 wins for Caley since 2012.

Five games without a win in all competitions for Dundee strengthens the argument that this will be a home banker, as does the five points Inverness have taken from a tough trio of games against St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Celtic.

Best Bet: Inverness to win @ Evens

Aberdeen v Rangers

The first meeting of these old rivals since 2012 has had the Granite City buzzing all week, and one man who could provide Dons’ delight this weekend is winger Niall McGinn, who heads into this game having netted three times in his last seven games.

The Northern Irishman’s most recent strikes – against Inverness and Partick Thistle – both opened the scoring, and with Rangers having conceded the opening goal in four of their six Ladbrokes Premiership games, McGinn is excellent value to find the net first.

Best Bet: McGinn to score first @ 8/1

Hamilton Academical v St Johnstone

Saints boast an impressive away record in the Ladbrokes Premiership, having taken 13 points from their last six away games, and head to a Hamilton side who have already lost at home to Grennock Morton and Kilmarnock this season.

Tommy Wright has had the upper hand in this fixture for some time, with Saints winning 4-2 and 4-1 against Accies last season, and with the likes of Steven McLean and Graham Cummins in top form, expect the Perth outfit to secure another comfortable win.

Best Bet: St Johnstone to win by two goals @ 13/2