GLASGOW — Celtic host Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park on Sunday in the headline fixture of the Scottish Premiership weekend as last season's top two and Scotland's two remaining European representatives meet after Thursday frustration on the continent. Celtic lead the table by two points and hold a five-point advantage over third-placed Hearts, while Saturday brings four matches at 15:00 BST before Dundee host Rangers at Dens Park.
Celtic arrive having won 14 of their past 15 league matches, scoring at least twice in 11 of them, and fresh from a convincing win at Motherwell on Sunday, yet that momentum was checked by a 4-1 Europa League defeat away to Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday. Martin O'Neill has stressed the quality of the Portuguese hosts and taken positives from an improved second-half display, with Celtic still strong favourites to extend their lead over Hearts despite four defeats in their latest five outings in all competitions — the others coming against second-placed Rangers twice and Ferencvaros. O'Neill, who considered his position a couple of weeks ago before deciding to continue amid tensions with sections of the support, is hinting at a change through the middle, with Camilo Duran potentially moving off the wing to replace the misfiring Kasper Hogh. Hearts, now led by Wouter Vrancken after challenging for the title under Derek McInnes last season, have won only twice in their past 11 away league games without a clean sheet and conceded a late equaliser at home to Danish side Nordsjaelland in their Conference League opener, though they have lost just once in 13 matches overall and have won twice in their latest six visits to Celtic Park.
Rangers, under McInnes, travel to Dundee aiming to return to the summit after easing aside Kilmarnock last Saturday to briefly go top before Celtic restored their two-point lead the following day. Rangers are on a seven-game winning streak and are unbeaten in four away league games this season, winning the latest three, and have not lost to Dundee in 20 meetings since a 2-1 defeat in November 2017, winning the latest two encounters 3-0 at home in January and at Dens Park in November. Steven Pressley's Dundee have lost only once in four outings and have won their latest two, with Hibernian the only side to avoid defeat at Dens in six games there this season after a 2-1 win in August. Rangers will again look to striker Ryan Naderi, who has six goals in 12 games this season, and winger Djeidi Gassama, who has completed the most dribbles, had the most touches in the opposition penalty box and won more fouls than any player in the Premiership.
At Pittodrie, Aberdeen host St Mirren as Stephen Robinson's side seek to end a run of three successive home league games without scoring — another blank would match a run of four in 2012 — after a four-game unbeaten sequence was ended by St Johnstone on Sunday. Robinson has won just twice in seven outings, one via a penalty shoot-out, and has not beaten his former club in three attempts since Craig McLeish took charge, with St Mirren winning the latest two meetings 2-0 home and away and winning four of their latest seven visits to Pittodrie. St Mirren arrive having lost four in a row, the latest two away without scoring, in a fixture that could hinge on midfield duels between Ryan Carr, who has attempted more tackles than any player in the division, and Aberdeen's Afeez Aremu, who is second. At Easter Road, Marink Reedijk seeks a first win as Hibernian manager against a Falkirk side who are the only team without an away win in the Premiership this season.