St Johnstone host Rangers at lunchtime on Saturday, live on Sky Sports; Celtic face Dundee; Motherwell meet St Mirren; Aberdeen are away to Hearts; Kilmarnock face Hibernian; Ross County are at home to Livingston
Saturday 16 September 2023 14:45, UK
The Scottish Premiership returns after the international break with plenty of entertainment ahead, including one game live on Sky Sports.
The cameras will be at McDiarmid Park at lunchtime on Saturday as Rangers take on St Johnstone looking to make amends for their defeat to Celtic in their last league match.
The champions host Dundee in one of five 3pm kick-offs, with Brendan Rodgers looking to avoid any more injuries ahead of their Champions League opener next week.
Nick Montgomery will be looking to make an immediate impact after taking charge at Hibernian, while Aberdeen go to Hearts still looking for their first win of the season.
Here we take a look at what's at stake...
It has been a tough few weeks for Rangers, with defeat to Celtic following their Champions League play-off hammering by PSV Eindhoven.
The pressure has increased on manager Michael Beale with the Ibrox club currently sitting fourth in the Scottish Premiership, four points behind their Old Firm rivals.
St Johnstone are without a win this season and sit bottom of the table, although they did claim a surprise goalless draw at Celtic Park last month.
Rangers' last league trip to Perth ended in a 2-1 defeat in a game that ended up being former manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst's penultimate game in charge.
Celtic return from the international break sitting two points clear in the Scottish Premiership after their victory at Ibrox last time out.
They were held to a goalless draw with St Johnstone in their last home game but are unbeaten in their last 46 league matches at Celtic Park.
Reo Hatate is set to return to the squad on Saturday but Liel Abada is out for up to four months with a thigh injury.
Dundee have picked up five points so far this season but it is set to be a tough test for Tony Docherty's side in Glasgow.
They have failed to beat the Hoops in their last 39 meetings - their last win came back in 2001 when Martin O'Neill was in charge.
It is the start of a new era for Hibernian as they go to Kilmarnock this weekend, as Nick Montgomery takes charge for the first time since replacing Lee Johnson as head coach.
After a tough start, the Easter Road side picked up their first league under caretaker manager David Gray and they sit one point below Killie in the Scottish Premiership.
Killie kicked off the season with a shock victory over Rangers but they have picked up just two points since.
After a 1-0 loss to Ross County in their last match, Derek McInnes' side will be looking to avoid consecutive home defeats in the league.
It has been a disappointing start to the season for both Hearts and Aberdeen, with both clubs currently sitting in the bottom half of the table.
The Tynecastle side will be looking to avoid a fifth straight defeat in all competitions when they host the Dons on Saturday.
While they have managed one league victory this season, Aberdeen have just two points from two draws.
The form guide does not look good for them either - they have not managed to beat the Jambos away from home in the Scottish Premiership since December 2016.
Motherwell and St Mirren have made strong starts to the new season, with both sides unbeaten so far.
The Fir Park club sit second in the table following up a draw with three straight wins - the last time they won four on the bounce was under now St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson in 2019.
The Buddies are just two points behind in third place after two wins and two draws so far.
It is set to be an entertaining encounter in Lanarkshire.
Ross County were handed a tough start and have already faced Celtic and Rangers this season, but wins in their other two games sees them sitting mid-table at this early stage.
Livingston have also made a positive start, with defeat at Ibrox the only downside to an otherwise unbeaten campaign.
It is County who could set a new record this weekend.
After their 2-0 win in May last season, they could enjoy successive victories over Livingston in the top flight for the first time.
Sky Sports - This season, up to 48 cinch Premiership games are available across Sky Sports' flagship channels, including Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, plus at least five SWPL matches. From 2024/25, up to 60 cinch Premiership will be live on Sky Sports, in addition to the SWPL.
Sky Sports News - Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Scottish football fans can enjoy Sky Sports News' (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the cinch Premiership and SWPL throughout the season.
Sky Sports Digital - Follow all the latest from Scottish football across SkySports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage, in-game clips from matches live on Sky Sports and free highlights.
Sky Sports Social - Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports' main social media channels, the bespoke Twitter channel @ScotlandSky will continue to be the home of all Scottish football content on Sky Sports.
Highlights show - Tune in for a dedicated round-up from the cinch Premiership every week on Sky Sports Football.
To download the Sky Sports app, click here, to visit Sky Sports website, click here.
Sky Sports is the home of domestic football in the UK and Ireland, with more than 400 games per season across the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Women's Premier League, Premier League, WSL, and EFL.
