Last weekend’s Premiership matches between Glasgow and Edinburgh teams ended with a scoreline of 8-1 in favor of Glasgow. This weekend, Hearts and Hibs will be looking to avoid another heavy defeat in the second leg of their M8 double-header.
Hibs suffered a 4-0 loss in Philippe Clement’s Ibrox debut, while Celtic secured a convincing 4-1 victory at Tynecastle. These results highlight the difference in quality between the teams in Scotland’s two major cities.
Today, Celtic will face Hibs at Easter Road, and tomorrow, Hearts will visit Ibrox. Although the bookies are favoring another Old Firm double, the matches this weekend are expected to be more closely contested.
Both Celtic and Rangers had demanding midweek fixtures in the Champions League, which could impact their performances in domestic games. However, Hibs and Hearts will need to rectify the mistakes that cost them dearly in their previous matches.
While Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side has been in good form, they have conceded goals in their last five matches. Therefore, betting on both teams to score seems like a sensible option for today’s match in Leith.
McBookie offers odds of 4/6 for BTTS (both teams to score) and 8/15 for over 2.5 goals. Combining these options in a bet builder will give you odds close to evens. If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can go for over 3.5 goals, which boosts the odds to 11/8. Alternatively, you can bet on over 1.5 first-half goals, which pays 13/10.
Philippe Clement will be pleased with the start he has made at Rangers, despite facing intense pressure from Sparta Prague in their recent match. The introduction of Danilo as a substitute had a positive impact on the team, and he could be unleashed from the start in tomorrow’s game. Bet365 offers odds of 6/5 for Danilo to score.
St Mirren’s form has dipped after a strong start to the season, with two defeats and a draw in their last three games. However, they are the favorites to win today’s home match against bottom-placed St Johnstone, with odds of 4/7 from McBookie. Although St Johnstone is yet to win in the Premiership, their recent performances have shown improvement, including draws against Livingston and Aberdeen. The lack of goals remains a concern for Steven MacLean’s side, with just one goal scored in their last four games. Therefore, betting on under 2.5 goals at odds of 4/6 or against BTTS at odds of 8/11 with William Hill could be sensible options. Alternatively, you can bet on a one-goal winning margin for either team at 6/4 with McBookie.
The match between Dundee and Livingston is expected to be closely contested, and a thrilling encounter is unlikely. Betting on a half-time draw, which proved successful in the midweek match at Dens, is an appealing option with odds of 21/20 from Bet365.
Aberdeen will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing performance in Greece when they face Kilmarnock tomorrow. I believe Kilmarnock will score first, and you can get odds of evens from SkyBet for this outcome.
Here are my super singles for this weekend:
– Over 3.5 goals at Hibs (13/10, McBookie)
– Danilo to score (6/5, Bet365)
– Half-time draw at Livingston (21/10, Bet365)
– One-goal win in Paisley (6/4, McBookie)