Scottish Premiership fixtures: What to look out for before the World Cup break | Football News

The final round of Scottish Premiership games before the World Cup break provides plenty of intrigue across the league.

Rangers will want a strong performance at St Mirren, live on Sky Sports, to ensure they do not drop any more than seven points behind Celtic in the title race.

The leaders are at home to Ross County with the Staggies at risk of dropping back to the foot of the table if they lose and Dundee United and Kilmarnock win.

Here we take a look at what is at stake this weekend…

What is live on Sky Sports?

Rangers head to Paisley knowing they need a win to remain within touching distance of leaders Celtic.

They beat Hearts 1-0 in midweek to ease some pressure on the players and Giovanni van Bronckhorst after their shock defeat at St Johnstone last weekend.

St Mirren are without a win in their last three games but, apart from the Old Firm, have the best home record in the league this season taking 17 of a possible 24 points.

Stephen Robinson’s side have already managed to beat Celtic at the SMiSA Stadium and will be aiming for another upset to end the first part of the campaign as high as third.

Will Celtic’s winning home record continue?

After a hard-fought win at Motherwell in midweek, Ange Postecoglou is demanding his Celtic players keep their standards high and head into the break on the back of eight straight victories.

Celtic also have a 100 per cent record at home this season and will be keen to maintain that against a Ross County side who have won their last two games as they look to avoid a relegation battle.

If they can pull off a shock victory they will move up to ninth in the table, but defeat could see them back at the bottom on goal difference if both Dundee United and Kilmarnock take maximum points.

Can Hearts leapfrog Livi?

It is back to Tynecastle for Hearts as they look to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat at Rangers to move into a European place before the break.

They face an in-form Livingston side who sit fourth in the Scottish Premiership after a 2-1 win against Aberdeen.

Defensively Livi are strong this season having conceded the fewest goals outside the Old Firm.

This could be an entertaining battle in the capital.

Can Kilmarnock move off the bottom?

Both sides head into the match at Rugby Park on the back of midweek defeats.

Derek McInnes was forced to apologise to the Kilmarnock fans after a 4-0 loss at fellow strugglers Dundee United saw them drop to the foot of the table while Hibs lost 2-0 at home to Ross County.

Killie are on a run of three straight defeats and have managed to score just 11 goals in their first 15 games of the season.

Hibs though have struggled on the road so far managing just two wins from seven games, so it could be an intriguing encounter at Rugby Park.

Will St Johnstone’s unbeaten run continue?

Callum Davidson’s in-form side are without a defeat in their last four matches after following up their shock win over Rangers with a late draw at St Mirren in midweek.

St Johnstone currently sit sixth in the league, but a victory could see them head into the break in third place depending on other results.

Motherwell are just four points above the relegation zone after losing their last two games, against Hearts and Celtic, by a single goal.

Steven Hammell will take confidence from their away form, though, with four of their five wins this season being on the road.

Can United beat Aberdeen again?

It is back to Pittodrie for Aberdeen on Saturday evening after another bruising away defeat.

They lost at Livingston in midweek while Dundee United thumped Kilmarnock 4-0 to move off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

The Dons will feel they have a score to settle after United beat them 4-0 at Tannadice last month.

Victory for Jim Goodwin’s side would see them head into the break a maximum of 10 points behind second-placed Rangers, while a win for Liam Fox’s men could see them move out of the relegation zone.

Scottish Premiership & SWPL on Sky Sports

Sky Sports – This season up to 48 cinch Premiership games will be available across Sky Sports’ flagship channels, including Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, plus at least five SWPL matches. From 2024/25, up to 60 cinch Premiership will be live on Sky Sports, in addition to the SWPL.

Sky Sports News – Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Scottish football fans can enjoy Sky Sports News’ (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the cinch Premiership and SWPL throughout the season.

Sky Sports Digital – Follow all the latest from Scottish football across SkySports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage, in-game clips from matches live on Sky Sports and free highlights.

Sky Sports Social – Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports’ main social media channels, the bespoke Twitter channel @ScotlandSky will continue to be the home of all Scottish football content on Sky Sports.

Highlights show – Tune in for a dedicated round-up from the cinch Premiership every week on Sky Sports Football.

To download the Sky Sports app click here, to visit Sky Sports website click here.

Sky Sports is the home of domestic football in the UK and Ireland, with more than 400 games per season across the SPFL, SWPL, Premier League, WSL, and EFL.