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.

Celtic 3 - 1 Motherwell

It's hard to see past Celtic in this fixture but Motherwell deserve a case to be made for them. Having won four of their last five league games they've briskly moved up the table from a lowly eleventh six weeks ago, to fourth.  This resurgence owes much to their ability to find the net in recent weeks.  A run of four goals in four matches proves Chris Porter has regained the kind of form he showed last season- a contribution that he must sustain if his club are to take anything from Celtic Park. McGhee's men are also in the unusual position of having fond memories of the Champions home patch recording a win there back in April. The problem for Motherwell is the way Gordon Strachan's men are playing right now, in spite of missing a few of their top strikers- even the mighty Man Utd found them difficult to deal with in midweek!  So what do the Hoops have left in their locker after working so hard on Wednesday? In my opinion... enough.

Dundee Utd 1 - 1 Aberdeen

Dundee Utd have gone one better than Motherwell with an eight match undefeated run jumping them from twelfth to third in just seven weeks. It emphasises how tight this league is out with the Old Firm and that if a side can string some wins together then the UEFA Cup spot is well within their grasp. United also have an excellent home record this term and in recent meetings with the Dons they have faired very well. Aberdeen were able to get a major monkey off their back by winning at home for the first time last weekend against Kilmarnock and that should help settle Jimmy Calderwood's men in to some sort of consistency. Both managers should be happy with a point in this 'New Firm' derby.

Hamilton 1 - 2 Falkirk

If Hamilton are to have any chance of staying in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League they must pick up all three points against the teams around them - especially at home! A win this weekend then, when they host a Falkirk side that has already beaten them this season, is crucial to their survival. Unfortunately, after an amazing start their form has dipped badly having lost all of their last six. If they don't win soon the confidence in Billy Reid's young squad will slowly but surely disappear. John Hughes added a little more experience to his side in the summer by bringing in the likes of Jackie McNamara, Lee Bullen, Neil McCann, and more recently, Steve Lovell. That has undoubtedly helped balance Falkirk's squad and I believe they will reap the rewards as the season goes on. It's an opportunity for both clubs to deliver a blow to the other but I think Hamilton's poor run may continue.

Hibernian 2 - 1 Inverness CT

Both of these clubs are going through a difficult period and will be desperate to get back to winning ways. The Highlanders are in a precarious position just one point ahead of basement rivals Hamilton. Last week's 5-0 drubbing at Ibrox will take some shifting from the minds of Craig Brewster's beleaguered boys and this, their third away fixture on the bounce, is another tough proposition. Goals have been hard to come by and defending has been poor but I think this one will be close and could go either way. Hibs have accumulated 15 points this season and sit in sixth place. They know that a win this weekend could send them back into third and may then kick start their campaign once again.

St Mirren 1 - 0 Hearts

Let's face it St Mirren don't score bundles of goals but if you don't concede too many then all is pretty much well. Gus MacPherson's men have the best defensive record in the league outside Rangers and if you're capable of keeping it tight at the back, then the odd goal at the other end can mean overcoming the majority in the Scottish top flight. However, the Buddies record against Hearts isn't the best- it's 18 years since their last home win over the Edinburgh outfit so a positive result in Paisley is long overdue. Csaba Laszlo's side are really struggling at the moment and having watched them capitulate so easily against Celtic last weekend, it's obvious that once more all is not well in the camp. With hunt for a goal scorer now critical, if Hearts continue to play like that, the only way is down.

Kilmarnock 1 - 2 Rangers

After a lengthy period in third spot, three defeats on the trot have finally caught up with Kilmarnock, sliding them to fifth in the table. Nevertheless, it has still been a decent start for Jim Jefferies' men with plenty of entertaining football on show. The thing is... Rugby Park has been the scene of many an Old Firm defeat in recent seasons and you always wonder if this weekend will offer up another memorable Killie victory. Rangers' midweek draw at Ibrox against United will certainly give the Ayrshire club something to work with, but the title contenders will be hurt by that result and always look to bounce back immediately. Defensively they were vulnerable against Craig Levein's team and, priding himself on this department, Walter Smith will be demanding a positive reaction against a Killie side who have improved in attacking terms this season.

Scott Booth was talking to Robbie Balfour