Inverness CT v Rangers

Not so long ago you would have been labeled a fool to suggest that Inverness could even force a draw against the mighty Rangers. Yet last season saw Inverness not only unbeaten in their encounters, but actually finish with the better record having achieved the unthinkable. They came away from Ibrox Stadium, with a victory back in mid October 2006 and also repeated the achievement at their home ground over the Christmas period. Their last fixture was a 1-1 draw at the end of March which effectively saw their challenge to catch Celtic and become Champions go up in smoke.

With the poor start to last years campaign a major reason in their failings, Rangers will be desperate for a winning start against a team which are developing a reputation as their bogey team.

The pressure will no doubt be felt by all associated with the Rangers team and apart from an opening fixture against the Champions, this is probably the next scenario least favored by Rangers. To compound the pressure the match is being shown live just after mid day when the eyes of footballing fans around the country will be able to watch football live to see if Rangers will be a threat to the current Champions or whether their fans will need to look again at the cup competitions for some degree of success.

Dundee United v Aberdeen

Dundee United against Aberdeen is one of those games which is hard to forecast. No doubt on paper Aberdeen hold the honours with a third place finish last season, however Dundee it was who gained the better record when after they both achieved home victories, Dundee went to Pittodrie Stadium home to Aberdeen and took full points for the win early in April. This ensured a nervous finish for the Aberdeen faithful in their race for one of the UEFA Cup places.

Aberdeen will no doubt be hoping to start where they left off last season with a final day victory over Rangers. Although many might think that this fixture is all set up for the classic 0-0 draw, as neither team have been renowned for make the best of starts to the season in recent years. Aberdeen however will be hoping to start the season well as they are involved with European competition and cannot afford to take their eye off the Scottish Premier League for one minute..

Gretna v Falkirk

Well after a roller coaster ride they have finally made it to the big time. A few years ago Gretna could only dream of playing against the likes of Celtic and Rangers and here they are after a remarkable few seasons. The Gretna fans will be hoping for a repeat of previous seasons, with a string of early season wins pushing them away from the chasing pack to win the Championship with ease. Hopefully this season doesn’t turn into pay back time for all the success they have achieved lately.

One thing is for sure the match against Falkirk will provide them with a test which will give an indication as to how their season will progress. True Falkirk are a mid table team, but Gretna should not forget that it was Falkirk who managed victories over Celtic and Rangers last season and came top of the ‘relegation’ group.

Gretna will also be playing their first home game at FirPark, the home of Motherwell while their own ground is renovated to comply with Scottish Premier League standards. Maybe now they have realised their dream, the Gretna players and fans should change their focus and start praying that they are not overwhelmed in the top flight. This fixture will give a pretty good indication as to whether they will be sinking or swimming come the end of the season.

St Mirren v Motherwell

This fixture will be one of those which in many peoples eyes will decide which one will be relegated at the end of the season. The two had very poor seasons last year and had it not been for several favorable results at the end of the season, it may have been St Mirren that was relegated rather than Dunfermline.

How frustrating it must be to be a Motherwell fan. Their lack of consistency is glaringly obvious. They can produce a win over a few of the top placed teams and then loose a string of games to lower placed teams. They also have their third manager in less than two years now in the shape of Mark McGhee, but whether he has the credentials to change the fortunes of the club remain to be seen. On past form if there is to be a winner then St Mirren have history on their side for this encounter, but that won’t guarantee them the points.

Celtic v Kilmarnock

A repeat of last seasons opening day fixture for the Champions they will look to stamp their authority on proceedings once again. Celtic may be feeling a little pressure having been given the Sunday afternoon fixture which is also allowing fans to watch Premiership football live, but a repeat of last seasons result will be in the thoughts of many of the fans who tune in to watch the football live.

Celtic if anything should prove an even stronger side having bolstered their team with several top rated players in the summer, and Gordon Strachan will expect no more than a victory as he will each and every time they walk out onto the pitch.

Kilmarnock will have hopefully rid themselves of the nightmare that was the League Cup final, where they were mauled 5-1 by Hibernian. If nothing else Kilmarnock can take heart in that most people would advise to get this fixture out of the way now and then start the season for real next Saturday, hopefully this is not advice they need to heed!

Hearts v Hibernian

The first Monday night live football match couldn’t have been better graced than with the first Edinburgh derby of the new season. No fear of the two teams easing themselves into their first match of the season, this is going to be live premiership football at it’s best, with passion and pride served up on a platter for 90 minutes as we await to see who will draw first blood for bragging rights.

Hearts may be seen as the favourites having had the better of encounters recently, but Hibernian will have fire in their belly yearning for revenge of their defeat when they last met. . For those who have not witnessed an Edinburgh derby now is your chance to see the match live. One thing is for sure both teams will know that their next meeting is not for another 12 weeks and that is an awfully long time to wait to avenge a defeat!