Scottish Premiership previews: Team news, stats and how to follow with Dundee United vs Rangers live on Sky Sports | Football News

The Scottish Premiership returns this weekend, with team news, stats and how to follow plus Dundee United vs Rangers live on Sky Sports on Sunday.

Hibernian vs Ross County – Saturday, 3pm

Team news: Hibernian will be without six key players for the visit of Ross County after Demetri Mitchell joined their injury list with a contact injury he sustained in the Scottish Cup victory at Arbroath last weekend.

Paul McGinn, Paul Hanlon and Joe Newell are all still sidelined by the issues that have kept them out of recent games.

Long-term injury victim Kyle Magennis is still absent while former County defender Harry Clarke is still waiting to make his debut after getting injured soon after moving to Easter Road last month.

Ross County new signing Josh Sims will not be available for the Premiership clash. The 24-year-old attacker was a free agent after being released by Southampton last summer and needs time to get up to speed.

Midfielder David Cancola remains out with a groin problem.

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• Hibernian have only suffered one defeat in their last seven home top-flight matches against Ross County (W4 D2), a 0-2 reverse in December 2020.
• Ross County are looking to win back-to-back top-flight league meetings with Hibernian for the first time since winning each of their first three such clashes in the 2012-13 season.
• Hibernian are winless in six league matches (D2 L4), their longest such run in the Scottish Premiership since a spell of 10 games from August to October 2019.
• Ross County are unbeaten in four league matches (W1 D3); they haven’t had a longer unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership since a nine-game stretch from April to August 2017.
• Ross County (17) have lost more points from leading positions than any other sides in this season’s Scottish Premiership.

How to follow: Follow the latest scores on Sky Sports’ digital platforms and Soccer Saturday. Watch free match highlights of the game later on Saturday evening.

Livingston vs St Mirren – Saturday, 3pm

Team news: Livingston manager David Martindale expects to have a full-strength squad.

On-loan Norwich forward Sebastian Soto is set to be involved after having his early weeks at the club disrupted by Covid and injury issues. Russian goalkeeper Ivan Konovalov is due to arrive in the UK on Monday after a protracted transfer process.

St Mirren suffered disruption on Friday when manager Jim Goodwin was given permission to speak to Aberdeen.

Forward Lee Erwin left the club earlier in the week to sign for Finnish side Haka. Strikers Curtis Main and Eamonn Brophy both remain on the sidelines.

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• Livingston are winless in five league meetings with St. Mirren (D2 L3) since a 2-1 win in February 2020.
• St. Mirren have won both of their last two league visits to Livingston, each by a 1-0 scoreline.
• Livingston are looking to win back-to-back home league matches for the first time since January 2021 after their 2-1 win over Aberdeen in their last such fixture.
• St. Mirren have won four of their last five league matches (D1), including both of their last two away from home. The Buddies last won three away games in a row in the Scottish top-flight in May 2007.
• Connor Ronan has either scored (three) or assisted (one) four of St. Mirren’s last five league goals, while he could become only the second St. Mirren player to score in three consecutive Scottish Premiership appearances since their promotion in 2018, after Jamie McGrath in May 2021.

How to follow: Follow the latest scores on Sky Sports’ digital platforms and Soccer Saturday. Watch free match highlights of the game later on Saturday evening.

Motherwell vs Aberdeen – Saturday, 3pm

Team news: Motherwell will assess the fitness of left-back Nathan McGinley, who missed last Saturday’s Scottish Cup victory over the Dons, ahead of this match.

However, midfielder Barry Maguire remains sidelined for the home side with a torn quad muscle.

Aberdeen caretaker manager Barry Robson gave nothing away over the fitness of Declan Gallagher and Scott Brown, who both went off injured against St Johnstone.

Marley Watkins (foot) is expected to remain out, along with long-term absentees Andrew Considine (knee) and Michael Devlin (ankle).

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• Motherwell have won both of their two previous league meetings with Aberdeen this season (both 2-0); they last won three straight league matches against the Dons in March 2012 (run of five).
• Aberdeen lost 2-0 in their last league visit to Motherwell, last losing back-to-back such visits from April 2011 to December 2012 (run of four).
• Motherwell are winless in six league matches (D2 L4), losing and failing to score in both of their last two. The Steelmen haven’t lost three consecutive Scottish Premiership fixtures while also failing to score each time since December 2018.
• Aberdeen have won just one of their last 12 away league matches (D3 L8), a 1-0 win over St. Johnstone in December.
• Three of Motherwell’s last five league goals have been scored by Kevin van Veen. However, the Dutchman is yet to score a league goal in 2022, attempting more shots than any player yet to score in the Scottish Premiership this calendar year so far (17).

How to follow: Follow the latest scores on Sky Sports’ digital platforms and Soccer Saturday. Watch free match highlights of the game later on Saturday evening.

St Johnstone vs Hearts – Saturday, 3pm

Team news: Zander Clark and Callum Booth are both rated as 50-50 for St Johnstone‘s Premiership game against Hearts on Saturday as they battle with respective calf and groin problems. Nadir Ciftci and Michael O’Halloran are back fit again following hamstring injuries.

Cammy MacPherson remains out after dislocating his shoulder again while Chris Kane, Shaun Rooney, Craig Bryson and David Wotherspoon are long-term absentees.

Hearts have a near full-strength squad available as they look to win in Perth for the first time in a decade. Michael Smith returned to the side last weekend after issues with his back and should be available this weekend.

Craig Halkett is the only confirmed absentee as he works his way back from a hamstring injury.

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• St. Johnstone are unbeaten in their last 14 home top-flight matches against Hearts (W7 D7) since a 0-2 reverse in November 2010 under Derek McInnes.
• After their 2-0 win in January, Hearts are looking to pick up consecutive top-flight league victories over St. Johnstone within a single season for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.
• St. Johnstone have only won one of their last 16 home league matches (D7 L8), picking up just eight points at home in the Scottish Premiership this season (W1 D5 L7), at least five fewer than any other side on home soil this term.
• Hearts have lost both of their last two league matches, last losing more in succession in the Scottish Premiership in December 2019 (a run of five), a spell which included a 1-0 defeat to St. Johnstone.
• Barrie McKay has assisted four of Hearts’ last six league goals. McKay has six league assists in all this season, his most in a single campaign since 2017-18 for Nottingham Forest (seven).

How to follow: Follow the latest scores on Sky Sports’ digital platforms and Soccer Saturday. Watch free match highlights of the game later on Saturday evening.

Dundee United vs Rangers – Sunday, 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports

Team news: Dundee United defender Charlie Mulgrew has returned to training after a calf injury.

Full-back Kieran Freeman might have an outside chance of making the squad for the Tannadice clash after suffering a muscle injury but Adrian Sporle and Peter Pawlett are medium to long-term absentees.

Fashion Sakala, Kemar Roofe and Jon McLaughlin – left out of the squad for the Europa League win over Borussia Dortmund for unspecified reasons – could return to the Rangers squad.

Filip Helander will be available again while Ianis Hagi (knee) and Nnamdi Ofoborh (heart issue) are still sidelined.

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• Dundee United won their last home league match against Rangers 1-0 in August 2021; they last won back-to-back home games against the Gers in the top-flight in October 2007 under Craig Levein.
• Rangers have won 15 of their last 19 top-flight league matches against Dundee United (D1 L3), including a 1-0 win most recently in December 2021.
• Dundee United have earned more points in their last three league matches (five – W1 D2) than they had in their previous nine combined beforehand (four – W1 D1 L7). In addition, the Tangerines have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three league fixtures.
• Rangers are winless in three away league outings (D2 L1), conceding as many goals in this winless spell (seven) as they had in their previous 10 league matches on the road beforehand.
• Rangers right-back James Tavernier has been directly involved in more goals in this season’s Scottish Premiership than any other player (17 – six goals, 11 assists), both scoring and assisting in the Gers’ 2-0 win over Hibernian last time out.

How to follow: Watch Dundee United vs Rangers will be shown live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event from 11am on Sunday; kick-off 12pm. Follow the game in our dedicated live blog across Sky Sports’ digital platforms, including in-game clips. Watch free match highlights of the game later on Sunday evening.

Celtic vs Dundee – Sunday, 3pm

Team news: Celtic midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi is available again for Sunday’s visit of Dundee.

The Japanese player was ineligible for Thursday’s defeat by Bodo/Glimt as he is not listed in Celtic’s Europa Conference League squad. Mikey Johnston (ankle) remains out along with Albian Ajeti, Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull (all hamstring).

New Dundee manager Mark McGhee will be able to call upon defender Vontae Daley-Campbell. The on-loan Leicester player has served a two-match ban after being sent off against Ross County.

Jordan Marshall is battling to be fit and Lee Ashcroft is building up his fitness following a hamstring injury, while Cillian Sheridan (Achilles) remains a long-term absentee.

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• Celtic are unbeaten in 34 league meetings with Dundee (W28 D6), winning each of the last five in a row. They last enjoyed a longer league winning run over the Dee from November 1998 to March 2000 (run of six).
• Dundee have lost 15 of their last 17 league visits to Celtic (D2) since a 2-0 win in May 2001 under Ivano Bonetti.
• Celtic are unbeaten in 20 league matches (W17 D3), winning each of their last seven in a row. They last won eight league fixtures in succession from January to February 2020.
• Dundee ended a nine-match winless run in the Scottish Premiership (D2 L7) with victory at Hearts last time out. The Dee haven’t won back-to-back away matches in the competition since January 2018.
• Since his competition debut in January, no player has provided more assists (three) or created more chances (20) in the Scottish Premiership than Celtic’s Matt O’Riley.

How to follow: Follow the game in our dedicated live blog across Sky Sports’ digital platforms. Watch free match highlights of the game later on Sunday evening.