The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dundee will host Ross County on opening day of Premiership campaign
Champions host Jambos, Dark Blues welcome County, Saints go to Killie
Brendan Rodgers’ rampant Celtic will kick-off their quest for a seventh straight Scottish Premiership title against Hearts on Saturday August 5.
The Parkhead champions completed an astonishing 47 domestic games without defeat last season as they wrapped up a treble clean sweep.
And they will now set about extending their incredible run when the Jambos visit Parkhead for the traditional flag raising ceremony as the 2017/18 Ladbrokes Premiership season gets under way.
Dundee will kick off the new season at home to Ross County in a reverse of last term’s opener when the Dark Blues won 3-1 up in Dingwall.
Next up for Neil McCann’s men is a trip to Hamilton, while they have a rather daunting run-in to the end of the regular season as they face Celtic, St Johnstone, Aberdeen, Hearts and Rangers before the split.
St Johnstone kick off their Premiership season with a trip to Kilmarnock before hosting Motherwell and Partick Thistle.
Pedro Caixinha’s new-look Rangers open their campaign away to Motherwell, although the fixtures announced by the Scottish Professional Football League yesterday morning could yet be switched for TV coverage.
The Ibrox faithful, buoyed by eight new arrivals already this summer, will be keen to see how their side fares against champions Celtic when the Hoops visit on Saturday September 23 for the first derby clash of the new term.
Gers suffered two humiliating 5-1 drubbings at the hand of their bitter foes last season and will be hoping Caixinha’s recruitment drive has closed the gap significantly.
The big two are pencilled in to face off again at Celtic Park on Saturday December 30 before returning to Ibrox for the season’s third showdown on Saturday March 10.
Last year’s runners-up Aberdeen get their season under way at home to Hamilton while Hibernian, back in the top division after a three-year absence, get started against Partick Thistle at Easter Road before heading to Ibrox to face Rangers a week later.
Neil Lennon’s Leith outfit will also host the first Edinburgh derby duel of the new campaign on Wednesday October 25.
However, Hearts’ schedule remains to be finalised after the SPFL handed them home fixtures against Kilmarnock and Motherwell in rounds two and four despite Tynecastle being out of commission while work continues on the new £12 million main stand.
The Jambos’ support will have to wait until the visit of Aberdeen on September 9 before they can take their seats in the new structure and club chiefs say they are now in talks with league bosses to rearrange their August 12 and 26 clashes.