Saturday's Scottish football predictions: betting preview and free football tips

When to bet

From 12.30pm Saturday

Best bets

St Johnstone draw no bet
3pm Saturday
1pt 4-5 bet365, Boyles 

Arbroath
3pm Saturday
2pts 6-5 Betfair, Hills

Scottish football predictions

Motherwell host Celtic on Saturday afternoon and the Bhoys will be looking to build on last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Livingston. Keeper Joe Hart is suspended after his red card at Almondvale, with Scott Bain set to deputise in goal, but that may prove a blessing given the way the former England stopper has been performing this season.

Title rivals Rangers host Aberdeen fresh from a 4-0 hammering of Livingston on Wednesday and Livi may struggle to recover from that Scottish League Cup hammering. 

Of course, David Martindale’s side were expected to lose at Ibrox, but a 4-0 drubbing, in which they did not have a single shot on target and managed only 31 per cent possession, looks far from ideal preparation for Saturday’s trip to St Johnstone. 

Martindale’s men have won only one of their opening six SPL fixtures and they have managed just eight shots on target in three Scottish Premiership road trips. St Johnstone are yet to record a single Scottish top-flight victory this term, but they have faced Rangers, Celtic, Hearts and Hibs in four of their opening six contests and a McDiarmid Park contest against Livi looks more manageable. 

Inverness have turned to Duncan Ferguson in a bid to arrest a slump that has seen Caley Thistle lose nine of their last ten matches, but you have to question the wisdom of that decision. 

The former Scotland striker’s managerial experience stretches to two brief caretaker roles at Everton and a disastrous spell at Forest Green, where the 51-year-old managed only one win from 18 matches. 

Whatever the outcome of Ferguson’s appointment, Arbroath are flying, winning five straight matches, and they completely outplayed Partick with a crushing 3-0 victory at Firhill last time out.

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