STAR FOOTBALL ANTE-POST PREVIEW: Scottish Premiership

ALL KICKING OFF – SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP: As part of our build up to the new football season we preview the Scottish Premiership with DAVID STEWART with a recommended starsports.bet selection. The season kicks off on Saturday and the big question is obviously can anyone stop Celtic?

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There are plenty of times that odds-on shots represent value and plenty will argue that’s the case with Celtic who are a ? chance to defend their Scottish Premiership title.

If you prefer to work in percentages that’s around 70% the most likely outcome, or, in other words, you would expect Celtic to be Champions seven times out of 10.

They’ve actually won nine from the last 10 titles – the sequence only rudely interrupted by Rangers ? in 2020/21 – hence the argument that ? is by no means bad value ahead of the SPL kicking off on Saturday with Celtic’s first game at 4.30pm on Sunday when they host Kilmarnock.

Let’s not pretend the SPL is competitive – Celtic’s domination tells you that – but it’s not just the big two that create a gulf.

It wasn’t even close behind them. In horse racing parlance the field were well strung out last season with third placed Hearts ? finishing 12 points clear of Kilmarnock ? in 4th who were themselves nine points clear of St Mirren ? .

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It’s also a complicated division. Ever since the SPL was formed from a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League in 2013 it has led to a 12 team league format that play out the season in two phases.

They face other three times in the first phase before the table is split equally into Promotion and Relegation sub-leagues with the ultimate irony of course being there is no league to get promoted to !!

The bad news for Celtic’s rivals is that they have banged in 18 goals in their last four friendlies with wins agains Chelsea, Man City, DC United and Queen’s Park. Even allowing for a huge pinch of salt around the value of that form, it has to be said, as far as friendlies go, it doesn’t really get much better than that for Brendan Roger’s (pictured below) outfit.

If you had to find fault with Celtic’s run-up to the new season it’s the fact they haven’t been as active on the transfer front and they face a race against time with star Danish Matt O’Riley who has been linked to Southampton (in particular) and Atalanta.

His record in midfield for the Hoops is as solid as it gets 37 matches, 18 goals and 13 assists.

Rangers haven’t been faring as well in their friendlies in terms of both results or goals and will start the new campaign without the services of stalwart and club vice-captain Connor Goldson who has has signed a three-year deal with Aris Limassol in Cyprus.

In the arrivals lounge at Ibrox you might be seeing Hannibal Mejbri after the club revealed they were in advance talks with Manchester United around the 21-year-old Tunisian international.

Rangers will play their early matches at the national stadium Hampden Park whilst building work continues at Ibrox Stadium.

Hearts could easily equal their third place finish last season but with just 12 teams it’s all about finding the winner for betting purposes and I’ll finish where I started. Celtic ARE value to win the league.

Boring I know, but mitigated if you collect at the end of the season.

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