Testing 1,2,3 - Preview of SPL Matchday 9

By: Ian Rose | October 5th, 2007

The ninth week of SPL action is upon us, and with it, a serious test of the current top three. Celtic, Rangers, and the surprising Hibernian have separated themselves from the rest of the field at the top of the SPL table. Only one point separates the three teams, but they lead fourth-place Dundee United by five. That could all look very different by Sunday evening. Here’s a look at this weekend’s matches:

Dundee United v. Motherwell - Saturday 15:00
Tied for points, these are the two teams with the most realistic shot at catching the top three. Motherwell has been an extremely tough side lately, holding Rangers to a draw and taking Hibs out of the league cup. Both of these teams know that they have an opportunity to gain points on third-place Hibs this week. I have to give the edge to Mark McGhee and Motherwell, and I pick them to take the away win 2-1.

Hearts v. Falkirk - Saturday 15:00
This is an interesting match for the bottom half of the SPL. Hearts have shown moments of competence this season, beating Rangers 4-2, but have also lost points to bottom teams like Inverness and Gretna. Falkirk is on a slide, having lost their last two to Inverness and Dundee United. Neither of these sides have shown anything particularly brilliant, but I think the Tynecastle hopeful will spur along a home win, 3-1.

Kilmarnock v. Inverness CT - Saturday 15:00
Inverness had a dream week, grabbing three home wins in eight days and finally getting off the bottom of the league table. Kilmarnock should be the favorite here, but injuries have absolutely crippled the side. Killie has lost so many players that manager Jim Jeffries may only be able to have one outfield substitute available for the match. His team of youngsters may falter, especially if Craig Brewster is able to play for Caley. I’m going to be optimistic here and predict an away win 1-0.

Rangers v. Hibernian - Saturday 15:00
THE game of the week, hands down. Hibs are one point behind Rangers and Celtic, and even though they beat Celtic a few weeks back, everyone seems to be blaming that on a fluke poor performance by Artur Boruc. Hibs will be fighting not only for points, but also for the respect they feel they’ve earned thus far this season. Rangers have dropped some silly points early, but are perfect at home, and I expect them to stay that way. 3-1 to Rangers.

Aberdeen v. St. Mirren - Sunday 15:00
The Dons have just barely arrived home from their trip to Ukraine, where they beat Dnipro on away goals to progress in the UEFA Cup. Luckily, they face an injury-depleted St. Mirren side, and with the confidence they’ve earned from their European success, I tip them to take this one 2-0.

Gretna v. Celtic - Sunday 15:00
While Rangers fight it out with tough Hibernian, Celtic enjoy a nice trip to Gretna’s borrowed grounds and, likely, an increase in their lead on goal differential over Rangers. The Bhoys got some bad news with the loss of Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe, but their defense is fairly deep, certainly enough for the likes of Gretna, and they’ll be none too sheepish after beating AC Milan this week. Look for a goalfest for Celtic, and a final scoreline of 0-5.

Last week’s predictions were hit and miss, with three correct and three incorrect picks. I am somewhat happy with some of the more specific predictions, though, such as the exact score of the Celtic match and the fact that Hearts was going to get a penalty. Anyway, hopefully, I’ll do better this time. It should be an interesting week.