Boothy’s predictions

Our resident expert Scott Booth will run his eye over the weekend's Clydesdale Bank Premier League fixtures each week and give his big match predictions.

As a former Scottish international striker and current Setanta Sports Scottish football analyst we feel he's pretty qualified to give a weekly run down of who's doing what in the SPL, check out his latest predictions here.

Aberdeen 1 - 1 Kilmarnock

Killie will be disappointed that last week's defeat to Falkirk at Rugby Park tarnished a very good recent run of form, particularly as it was in front of their home support.  Jim Jefferies will be well aware that, in the end, home form will determine whether his side can remain the best outside of the Old Firm. Aberdeen backed up their win away to Falkirk with a draw last week at Tynecastle and it seems those four points have steadied the ship for Jimmy Calderwood's men after a terrible run of results. All of the Dons' problems have stemmed from their form in the Granite City meaning a win at Pittodrie this weekend is absolutely vital for the Dandy's support.  Failure to do so and the pressure may yet again be turned up a notch or two!

Falkirk 1 - 2 Dundee Utd

An emotional win for Utd against St Mirren following the sad death of their owner, Eddie Thompson, has continued a superb run of results for the Arabs.  Their poor start to the campaign is now a distant memory and the pre-season hype surrounding the club is now being justified.  Falkirk won't show them too much respect on their own patch though, and will quite rightly expect to win in what should be a very open match.  As you would expect, because both sides rely heavily on going through the central channel when building attacks, the midfield is once again likely to be key.  Solidity at the back may then determine which team edges it.  In my opinion Utd are better covered in that department so could just keep things tight enough to win by the odd goal.

Motherwell 3 - 1 Hamilton Accies

The visitors to Fir Park aren't having the best of times at the moment as they take up the relegation position for the first time this season.  That horrible sinking feeling has seen them torpedo from top of the SPL after the first two weekends, to a depth they will certainly not enjoy.  Can Hamilton overcome this slump and propel themselves back amongst their rivals?  I think they can, but winning at home is already becoming vital and away matches against the likes of Motherwell should be seen as a point stealing situation.  After a terrific away win against Inverness CT last weekend, Mark McGhee's men will want to build momentum by securing an expected home win this time out. I'm backing them to have a little too much going on for Billy Reid's young side to handle.

Rangers 3 - 0 Inverness CT

Rangers have a formidable home record so in my opinion the Highlanders will need to come up with a Hollywood type plot to leave Ibrox with a win. A draw is what Craig Brewster's men should be looking for, and they are certainly capable of that on their day- not that there have been too many of those recently having lost their last three on SPL duty! Having said that, Inverness did push Celtic all the way a couple of weeks back and with a bit of luck could have taken a point so that will encourage the playing staff. But Walter Smith's men should be too strong on their own patch, especially with Kris Boyd's reinstatement to the first eleven alongside his favoured partner Kenny Miller. He will see his double against Hamilton last week as the kick start to his season and must fancy his chances of achieving a similar target in front of the home support. All that AND the imminent return of Barry Ferguson!

St Mirren 2 - 1 Hibs

St Mirren are the lowest scorers in the SPL despite boosting their firepower over the last couple of seasons. When goals are difficult to come by points really have to be grafted for as you rely on a solid back line to win by the odd goal. Gus MacPherson's men will need to play at their best in all areas of the park to overcome Hibs this weekend but I think they will deliver. The visitors will, as usual, be looking for all three points and you can be assured they'll play an open game. But if the home side's back line can nullify the obvious threat from Paatelainen's front three, then I feel they have enough about them to threaten in midfield and attack. It won't be easy, and a draw would probably be a safer bet, but I have a sneaky feeling the Buddies will record their fourth win of the season.

Hearts 1 - 2 Celtic

Ask any footballer that has played at Tynecastle and they'll tell you it's a great stadium to play in and a place where points are hard to come by. But having lost on only three of their last seventeen visits to this fantastic arena, Celtic will arrive with few negative thoughts. Couple that with Csaba Laszlo's side's recent form, which has again dipped to record just one win in the last six, and you understand the frustration the home support must be feeling as they await the current champions on Sunday. Nevertheless, despite two defeats and two draws in their last four matches a win would give Hearts a massive boost and, with mid table so tight, could even propel them into the UEFA Cup spot. Gordon Strachan's men have a different agenda and need to continue a domestic away record which has seen them undefeated in the last seven months if they are to stay ahead of Rangers at the top. In respect to Hearts, the one thing you can consistently bet on is that they will remain inconsistent! If they perform they can win, or at least draw, but having watched them recently I don't feel the belief is there yet so I'm tipping Celtic to win.

Scott Booth was talking to Robbie Balfour