SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND
YOUR GUIDE TO SCOTLAND’S BIG matches
Aberdeen v Motherwell Kick-off: 3.00pm. MARK McGHEE returns to Pittodrie with his Motherwell side to face a fired-up Dons team who have lost their last four matches in all competitions. The Steelmen have won two of the last four games in the Granite City. Aberdeen have won 48 per cent of the last 129 matches between the club, while the away side’s have been victorious in 17 per cent.
VITAL STATISTIC
62 Aberdeen have won 62 of 129 meetings at Pittodrie. PROBABLE TEAMS:
ABERDEEN (4-1-4-1): Ward; Logan, Taylor, Considine, Shinnie; Jack; Hayes, Flood, McGinn, McLean; Parker.
MOTHERWELL (4-4-2): Ripley; Law, Kennedy, McManus, Laing; Johnson, Pearson, Grimshaw, Chalmers; Fletcher, McDonald.
Referee: Crawford Allan. Dundee v Killie
Kick-off: 3.00pm. DUNDEE boss Paul Hartley is struggling with injuries and has been for a few weeks now, but this presents a good opportunity to get back on winning terms, having won the last three matches against Killie. The Dens Park men kept a clean sheet in the last two meetings. The home side generally win when the two meet in Dundee, with the Dark Blues winning 54 per cent of the games between the clubs.
VITAL STATISTIC
99 Killie have scored 99 goals in 92 matches at Dens Park. PROBABLE TEAMS: DUNDEE (4-3-3): Bain; McGinn, McPake, Konrad, Holt; Ross, Low, McGowan; Loy, Stewart, Hemmings.
KILMARNOCK (4-2-3-1): MacDonald; O’Hara, Balatoni, Findlay, McHattie; Slater, Smith; Robinson, Carrick, Higginbotham; Magennis.
Referee: Andrew Dallas. Inverness CT v St Johnstone
Kick-off: 3.00pm. JUST a point separates the two clubs in the league going into this game and both sides lost their previous match. In the last game in Inverness, it was the home side who came away with three points. It is just the 15th game between the two in the Highlands and Caley Thistle have won nine of the last 14 compared to Saints’ two victories — the last of which came in March 2012.
VITAL STATISTIC
4 Inverness have won their last four home matches against Saints. PROBABLE TEAMS:
INVERNESS CT (4-1-4-1): Fon Williams; Raven, Meekings, Devine, Tremarco; Tansey; Polworth, Vincent, Christie, Williams; Storey.
ST JOHNSTONE (4-4-2): Mannus; Shaughnessy, Mackay, Scobbie, Easton; O’Halloran, Davidson, Lappin, Wotherspoon; Cummins, MacLean.
Referee: Don Robertson. Partick v Hamilton
Kick-off: 3.00pm. IT seems like a good time for Partick to play Accies after the away side failed to win in their last two matches. The Jags will be encouraged by the fact they took a point from Martin Canning’s side earlier in the season with a 0-0 scoreline. The two teams have drawn their last two matches and there has never been three occasions in a row when the points have been shared.
VITAL STATISTIC
16 There were 16 goals in four league games between the two last term. PROBABLE TEAMS:
PARTICK THISTLE (4-2-3-1): Cerny; Dumbuya, Seaborne, Lindsay, Booth; Osman, Bannigan; Welsh, Lawless, Amoo; Doolan.
HAMILTON (4-1-4-1): McGovern; Gordon, Garcia Tena, Tagliapietra, Kurakins; Gillespie; Lyon, Imrie, Longridge, Kurtaj; Morris.
Referee: Euan Anderson. SUNDAY SHOWDOWN
Celtic v Dundee Utd
Kick-off: 3.00pm. THINGS do not get any easier this week for United boss Mixu Paatelainen, travelling to Celtic Park where his side have only ever won eight times from 99 attempts. Lately, matches between the two have been fraught with controversy, with the game earlier this season seeing no less than seven yellow cards. VITAL STATISTIC
3 Celtic have scored at least three goals in their last four games with United. PROBABLE TEAMS: CELTIC (4-2-3-1): Gordon; Janko, Boyata, Blackett, Izaguirre; Bitton, Brown; Forrest, Johansen, MackaySteven; Griffiths.
DUNDEE UNITED (4-4-2): Zwick; McGowan, Souttar, Durnan, Dillon; Connolly, Fraser, Rankin, Telfer; Mckay, Taggart.
Referee: Craig Thomson.