Scottish Premiership: What to look out for on the opening weekend of the new season
There are two games live on Sky Sports as Celtic begin their title defence against Ross County and Kilmarnock host Rangers; newly promoted Dundee face Motherwell; Aberdeen are at Livingston; St Johnstone take on Aberdeen; Hibernian are at home to St Mirren
Saturday 5 August 2023 17:55, UK
The wait is almost over. The new Scottish Premiership season kicks off this weekend with two games to look forward to live on Sky Sports.
While it looks to be a battle between Brendan Rodgers' Celtic and Michael Beale's Rangers, there is plenty more than that at stake.
Dundee are the newcomers while Ross County will be looking to make this season a little more comfortable after their dramatic playoff victory secured their survival.
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And who will claim the top-six places this season and the chance to have a crack at European competition?
There is sure to be plenty of excitement and drama over the coming months, but we take a look at what awaits this weekend...
Celtic vs Ross County
Live SPFL
Celtic kick off another Scottish Premiership title defence on Saturday lunchtime, live on Sky Sports, with the visit of Ross County.
It is all change at Parkhead with Rodgers back in charge and five new signings ready to show they can help the team clinch title number 54.
Malky Mackay was hoping for an easier start to the season after their dramatic playoff victory to secure their top-flight survival.
There have been big changes at the Staggies since then with eight new signings and their Scottish League Cup group stage form gives some cause for optimism heading into the new campaign.
Celtic have won the last eight meetings between the two, can County shock the Hoops on the opening day?
Kilmarnock vs Rangers
Live SPFL
Rangers begin their bid to end Celtic's domestic dominance with a Saturday evening game at Kilmarnock, live on Sky Sports.
Beale has overhauled his squad this summer with many of the club's eight new signings expected to feature at Rugby Park.
After securing their survival on the final day of last season Derek McInnes has also made big changes at Kilmarnock with 11 new additions.
Killie's home form was what kept them in the league, but it is a tough start against a team they have not managed to beat since February 2020.
Dundee vs Motherwell
Dundee are back in the Scottish Premiership and there is a new man in charge as Tony Docherty takes his first steps into management.
There are 12 new players at Dens Park as he looks to make their top-flight return a successful one, although failure to progress beyond the group stages of the Scottish League Cup has not been the ideal preparation.
Stuart Kettlewell guided Motherwell to safety last season and he will be hoping they can still impress despite the loss of prolific striker Kevin van Veen.
The Fir Park boss seems to enjoy fixtures at Dundee as he won both during his two seasons at Ross County.
Livingston vs Aberdeen
Livingston warmed up for the start of the new Premiership season with a strong Scottish League Cup group stage campaign, progressing to the last 16.
David Martindale has lost a number of players but, despite expected interest, he has managed to keep striker Joel Nouble for Saturday's opener against Aberdeen.
The Dons impressed under Barry Robson last season and he has made seven signings as he looks to strengthen their position after finishing third and guaranteeing European football until Christmas.
Nicky Devlin could make his competitive Aberdeen debut against his former club after making the move north this summer.
St Johnstone vs Hearts
St Johnstone's Scottish League Cup campaign was far from the ideal preparation, losing three games and failing to progress beyond the group stages.
Steven MacLean has made just four new signings so far this summer and the stats do not look good with the Saints failing to win on the opening day of each of the last five league seasons.
Hearts ended the season strongly, securing fourth place on the final day, and head to McDiarmid Park with four new signings confirmed.
Much of the pre-season talk at Tynecastle has been around the management structure with Frankie McAvoy insisting he will be making the final decisions after being appointed head coach with Steven Naismith as technical director.
Striker Liam Boyce and midfielder Beni Baningime could be in contention after returning to full training following serious knee injuries that kept them out for much of last season.
Hibernian vs St Mirren
After a shock defeat in Andorra, Hibernian will head into the new Premiership campaign on a high after beating Inter d'Escaldes 6-1 to progress into the next round of the Europa Conference League.
Martin Boyle scored a double in his first Hibs appearance since October, but Lee Johnson could have a goalkeeping issue ahead of Sunday's match against St Mirren.
David Marshall pulled up in Thursday night's warm-up with Jojo Wollacott's debut then cut short by injury.
St Mirren head to the capital buoyed by their progression to the last 16 of the Scottish League Cup, something they failed to do last season.
Stephen Robinson will be hoping his summer additions will help them secure another top-six finish this season.
Scottish Premiership and SWPL on Sky Sports
Sky Sports - Next season up to 48 cinch Premiership games will be 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.
