Aberdeen v Ross County (Premiership)

Scottish Football returns this weekend and there is a mad scramble to finish in the top half of the Premiership table before the split, with seven sides, theoretically, involved in the battle on this final weekend of the regular season. Two of those clubs go toe-to-toe at Pittodrie on Saturday.

Aberdeen have been waiting for their season to burst into life for weeks but it never quite has. Indeed, they have won only one of 12 matches since the turn of the year, doing little to justify their odds-on favouritism against an opponent they have twice drawn 1-1 with this season.

Ross County, meanwhile, have made a strong burst for the top six in recent weeks. They have lost only one of their last five matches – and that was away to Celtic.

Goals, surely, are a probability in this match. Both teams have everything to gain with a victory that would put them into the top six and have little to lose in the event they are beaten. This attitude has been reflected in recent Dons matches, with each of their last two games producing at least four goals. County may typically play in a more pragmatic style, but it is easy to see them getting drawn into a slugging match on Saturday.

If the match odds favour backing Ross County either via X2 or on a Draw No Bet basis, the better value is on backing an exciting match that both sides really need to win.

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Celtic v St Johnstone (Premiership)

Last weekend’s derby win over Rangers seems to have pushed Celtic to the brink of regaining the title. On Saturday, they can open up a nine-point advantage to their Glasgow rivals, who play on Sunday, by overcoming St Johnstone at home.

There will be few who doubt their ability to do that. After all, they have won 14 of their last 15 games against the Perth Saints, including both previous matches this season.

Indeed, for the visitors, this is likely to be a damage limitation exercise, despite an improved run of recent form that has seen them pick up seven points in their last three games.

St Johnstone’s strength this season has been keeping things relatively tight. Having conceded only 37 goals, they have the best defensive record in the bottom half of the league. Look for them to travel to Celtic with the intention of frustrating their hosts.

They have been relatively successful in stifling opponents this season and have only conceded more than two goals on their travels on one occasion this season – a 3-1 loss against Ross County. Moreover, they have only lost one match this term by three goals in any competition – a home fixture against Livingston in October.

The handicap odds on backing them +3, therefore, look rather generous. While Celtic’s control of this fixture is a virtual monopoly, the Hoops have only won one of their last eight meetings by such a margin.

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Falkirk v Cove Rangers (League One)

Falkirk’s morale appears to be at rock bottom. They have lost three of their last four matches and were humiliated 3-0 at home by Montrose last weekend at home. That should have been a face-saving exercise in itself after they had been beaten 1-0 away to relegation-threatened Peterhead a week previous.

The time for meaningful action from Falkirk has passed, with their playoff chances now stretched extremely thin in what has arguably been the club’s worst season ever. They appear to be a team with no backbone or stomach for a fight.

Indeed, it would be little surprise to see a reaction from manager Martin Rennie in terms of dropping star names who have underperformed for him.

Contrast that to Cove Rangers, who remain top of the league by a narrowing margin but who have successfully preserved an undefeated record stretching back to October thanks to back-to-back stoppage-time equalisers. There are no issues with the mental strength of the Aberdeen club.

Cove, meanwhile, have a strong record against Falkirk. They have won each of their last two matches versus the Bairns without conceding a goal, while they are undefeated in their last five fixtures against them overall. This is a game that should hold no fear for them.

One concern is the fitness of captain Mitch Megginson, who went off early last weekend. If he is available, Cove are likely to be best backed on the nose, though without him, it may be prudent to look to the Draw No Bet market.

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Montrose v Airdrie (League One)

Montrose successfully achieved their objective of reaching the playoffs last weekend thanks to a stunning 3-0 win over a demotivated Falkirk side away from home. It was, however, just a fourth win in 12 matches for the Mo, who have limped over the finishing line to some extent.

The Gable Endies, meanwhile, have not been in great home form this season. Indeed, they have won only five of 16 matches at Links Park in the league.

Complicating matters further ahead of the visit of Airdrie are numerous injury issues, most notably in the heart of their defence, and doubts over leading scorer Graham Webster, albeit he has scored a strong portion of his tally from the penalty spot.

By contrast, Airdrie are the league’s form team. Since beating Montrose 4-1 at home in February, they have gone on a run of six wins in their last eight. Indeed, their last defeat was away to Montrose on a Tuesday night in early December – they are without a loss in their last 16 league matches since then, winning 12 of those.

Unlike their hosts, Airdrie have a healthy squad, with all of their regulars set to be available for this match.

More is riding on the game for the guests than their hosts, too. After all, they still hold a realistic shot at the title if they can overcome Montrose. Failure to win, meanwhile, may see their prospects ended. They have a good deal of momentum behind them approaching this match and should be favoured to get the win.

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Annan v Cowdenbeath (League Two)

Annan have been one of the form teams in League Two in recent weeks, picking up six wins during their last eight matches. Over this period, they have been especially impressive offensively, scoring 19 goals, although they have conceded 11.

No club’s games have come close to producing the number of goals that Annan’s have over the course of the last five matches.

The pressure is off them going into Saturday’s game as they are already secure in the playoffs spots and are simply seeking to tie down second place in the league. Similarly, the pressure is, to some extent, off their opponents, who are heading of a relegation playoff.

Cowdenbeath have picked up three successive draws in the league but must look to gain some offensive confidence ahead of their showdown against the winners of the playoff between the winners of the Highland and Lowland Leagues. A trip to Annan offers them the chance to do that.

Although the Blue Brazil’s matches have typically been close fought this season, against Annan there has been more action. Two of the games finished in 3-1 victories for Athletic, who are unsurprisingly heavily favoured to win this match.  

With little to play for, look for this to be a more open encounter than Cowdenbeath typically play, which should result in a more entertaining game.

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Kelty Hearts v Stirling Albion

League Two champions Kelty have won the title at a canter, with their lavishly paid squad of players justifying their pre-season favouritism for the league.

Although Kevin Thomson’s side have allowed their standards to drop in recent weeks, drawing three of their last four matches, it is notable that these slips all came on the road. Back at home, they have been imperious, winning their last seven, including a Scottish Cup tie against Premiership St Johnstone in that sequence.

Kelty have won these matches with some degree of comfort, and with just two home fixtures of the season remaining, they will be seeking to finish with a flourish.

Stirling Albion, meanwhile, are rather limping over the line. Since matchday 10, they have the second-poorest record in the whole of the league, winning just 18 points in their last 23 matches of the season.

Although the Binos have picked up seven points from their last four, including a 1-0 away win against Forfar, there is a sense that their season is now over. With a clearout expected in the summer, there are few players at Forthbank who are likely to be offered new terms.

Motivation, then, is likely to be a problem for the visiting side.

While the Binos drew 1-1 at Kelty at the end of October, they were in a far healthier state at that point. Kelty should be a home banker at 1.4, and the value of backing them on a -1 handicap also looks impressive given that their guests have injury issues.

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