Aberdeen v Motherwell (Premiership)

Aberdeen continue to look strong in the early weeks of the Scottish Premiership season. After winning all four League Cup matches, they were competitive in a tough match away to Celtic before easing to victory over St Mirren last weekend in what was a highly polished home display. They will expect to keep the momentum up at Pittodrie against a Motherwell side that has been slow out the blocks.

Although the Dons’ cause was helped by a first-half red card last weekend, the 4-1 nature of their success will only have built confidence, particularly as new signings Bojan Miovski, Leighton Clarkson and Duk have hit the ground running with goals, while Liam Scales looks excellent in the middle of the defence.

Motherwell, meanwhile, are under new management, with Stevie Hammill given the job on a full-time basis this week. However, he had already overseen two previous matches, including a tight 1-0 win against St Mirren and a disappointing 2-1 loss to St Johnstone last season. After a couple of embarrassing losses to Sligo Rovers in the Europa Conference League, morale is low. On paper, this is their hardest match of the season to date, and so previous outings point to another negative result.

The Well boasted a good record against Aberdeen last season, winning three of their four fixtures, but this is a very different Dons side they come up against on Saturday. The hosts are bubbling right now and will be eager to preserve their perfect start to the season.

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Inverness v Cove Rangers (Championship)

Inverness are out to get their first win of the league season against Cove Rangers on Saturday, having already drawn 1-1 with the Aberdeen club in the League Cup earlier this season. That was a match that they should have won. They dominated it to an overwhelming degree, yet they were unable to finish their chances.

Similarly, they have not been as lethal in the Championship as they might have wished. They outplayed Queen’s Park in drawing 1-1 on the opening day of the season but followed that up with a decent 0-0 draw against Arbroath away from home last weekend.

There is a sense that the goals will come for Inverness, who are controlling games and are proving very hard to beat. Indeed, they are undefeated in their six competitive matches so far this season.

Cove Rangers, meanwhile, have three points on the board but have played two of the league’s weaker sides in the form of Raith Rovers and Morton. Last weekend, they lost 1-0 away to the Greenock side and they are a side that is far less comfortable on the road than they are at home.

On Saturday, they will face a step up in class against Inverness. This is a venue that Cove have visited three times in the past and have come away defeated on each occasion, albeit only on penalties when they made the trip in the League Cup less than a month ago. Nevertheless, the one-sided nature of that game does not bode well for Rangers and at odds against, there is value on Caley here.

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Queen’s Park v Partick (Championship)

Queen’s Park were Partick Thistle lodgers for much of last season as they won promotion from League One into the Championship, but they have moved home to Stenhousemuir for a temporary period under the development of their ground is finished.

This, combined with a change of manager, has transformed their approach. Previously, they were pragmatic and dour, but now they are somewhat more open and exciting to watch. This was evident last weekend as they suffered a 3-2 defeat against Ayr, though it was a match they should have won, having led 2-0 at one stage.

Meanwhile, Queen’s Park’s new attacking stance has seen plenty of goals in their games. Of their six competitive fixtures this season, four have produced more than 2.5 goals and the other two finished as 1-1 draws. Indeed, in every match they have played so far this term, both teams have scored.

Partick have proven to be similarly entertaining. Although only three of their six matches have produced more than 2.5 goals, the other three have each seen two goals. They have only kept one cleansheet all season, which was against Highland League outfit Fraserburgh in the League Cup, so the likelihood is that this is a game that produces a good deal more excitement.

Over 2.5 goals at above evens is a tempting bet, but the tendency of these clubs to draw 1-1 suggests that both teams to score is both safer and good value.

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Dunfermline v Montrose (League One)

Dunfermline and Montrose go head-to-head at East End Park in what promises to be a tight encounter between two clubs that have yet to concede a league goal this season. Indeed, Montrose have picked up a couple of scoreless draw to start the season while the Pars have won two from two.

Dunfermline have yet to hit the ground offensively this season. True, they did score five against Buckie Thistle in the League Cup, but the Highland League side are of a standard far lower than they face on a weekly basis. Otherwise, their matches have typically been tight. Last weekend’s 3-0 win over Edinburgh City was an exception, but they were aided by their opponents going down to 10 men early on.

What they should expect in this match is a game more like the two home Alloa fixtures they have played. On the opening day of the league season, they were reliant on a cross flying into the net to decide a tight match in their favour, while in the League Cup encounter they were held 1-1.

Montrose are liable to set up in a similarly defensive manner, having apparently perfected that technique against both Falkirk and Queen of the South – two of the big favourites for the league. On both occasions, they were able to frustrate their opponents and play out matches with little goalmouth action.

Between Dunfermline’s struggles to break down stubborn defences and Montrose’s recent habit of being able to keep things tight, a low-scoring match looks on the cards, with value to be found in backing Under 2.5 or backing against both teams to score at 2.2.

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Falkirk v Peterhead (League One)

It’s been a chastening start to the league season for John McGlynn’s Falkirk side, who are under pressure to get a positive result against Peterhead on Saturday. More than 3,500 turned out for their opening match of the season against Montrose, which came off the back of strong League Cup showings, yet they were held 0-0.

Falkirk rather crumbled to a 4-0 loss against Airdrie last weekend, although they were hampered in that match because of in-game injury issues. Nevertheless, the overall performance was deemed unacceptable and changes are likely ahead of the weekend. Expect a reaction in this game.

Peterhead are a team that are there for the taking by the full-time outfit. The Blue Toon ended a run of five successive defeats last weekend against Clyde as they picked up a 2-2 draw, but they seemed to be in huge trouble when they fell 2-0 behind at New Douglas Park. These were the first goals they had scored all season.

What will give Falkirk real hope here is just how poor Peterhead are defensively. They have conceded at least twice in all six matches so far this season and have conceded a massive 11 times in three away fixtures. The Bairns do have decent offensive potential and they should see this as an opportunity to gain some confidence in front of goal.

Falkirk have won four of the club’s five previous league meetings when playing at home, and on each of these occasions the game has produced more than 2.5 goals. Expect more of the same here.

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Stirling v Stenhousemuir (League Two)

Stirling host Stenhousemuir in a derby match on Saturday, with the home team having typically struggled to get a result in this fixture down the years. Last term, all four matches between these clubs were won by the away sides, while the hosts have won only one of the last 10 encounters between these near neighbours.

That is a trend that is likely to continue through this weekend. Stirling may have performed well in the League Cup, but their form has deserted them to some extent in the league. They fought back well to draw 2-2 with Elgin last weekend but at the same time lost top scorer Dale Carrick due to an injury. With little firepower in their ranks, he will be difficult to replace. They will also have someone playing out of position due to a lack of left-back.

The Binos, meanwhile, have conceded cheaply in their two previous matches, in each of which they have leaked two goals in the first half.

Stenhousemuir have not found their top gear either. They have played in fits and starts so far this season, which was enough to give them a win over Albion Rovers, but not enough to do anything better than a 2-1 loss against Annan last weekend.

The Warriors do carry a full-strength squad in this match, which is certainly in their benefit, and as one of the strongest teams in the league on paper, it is surprising to see Stirling favourites for this game. Look for Stenhousemuir to get something at least.

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Hearts v Dundee United (Premiership)

Hearts can count themselves unfortunate not to be on maximum points through the first two games of the Premiership season, having conceded a very late equaliser against Hibs to draw 1-1 last weekend in a fixture they will feel they should have won. Prior to that, they overcame Ross County 2-1 at home in a match they should have won more comfortably.

United, meanwhile, have made a slow start to the season. One the opening day, they drew 1-1 with newly promoted Kilmarnock and that was followed up by a home defeat against Livingston. Worse, in midweek, they went to AZ in the Conference League and were blown out of the water 7-0 by the Dutch side. They had won the first leg 1-0 and were travelling with an expectation of being competitive. Trailing 5-0 at the break will have been a morale-sapping experience for Jack Ross’ men.

Recent history in this fixture also strongly favours Hearts. Last season, they won three of the four fixtures against the Tannadice side, despite playing three of these away from home. In the only fixture that was played at Tynecastle, meanwhile, Hearts ran out 5-2 winners.

The Jambos may lack the type of cutting edge that they showed against Dundee United in November last year, but they are a side steadily gaining momentum, while their opponents will have been winded by their big midweek loss. It would be a huge achievement for the Tayside club if they were to stop their rot at this difficult venue.

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