Scottish Premiership · Gameweek 3
Gameweek 3 completed
Scottish Premiership Gameweek 3 Result & Postponements
European play-offs postponed five Scottish Premiership Gameweek 3 fixtures, while Dundee won the only active match at Dundee United.
By Jim · Updated
Scottish Premiership Gameweek 3 took place on Saturday 22 August 2026, but this was not a normal six-match round. Five fixtures were postponed because the clubs involved reached UEFA play-offs. Dundee won the only active league match 2-0 at Dundee United.
For predictors, the fixture status is decisive. The five postponed fixtures are excluded from this editorial prediction record, so only the Dundee derby receives a prediction. The SPFL says the postponed matches will be rearranged for September. Check the live league card before entry; any postponed match still shown as active requires organiser correction.
Gameweek 3 result and prediction review
| Fixture | Jim's prediction | Verified result | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dundee United v Dundee | 0-1 | 0-2 | Correct result |
The away-win direction and Dundee clean sheet were correct, while the winning margin was one goal wider than forecast. The five postponed fixtures remain void and do not count in the accuracy total. Jim's original pre-kickoff prediction remains unchanged.
Table before Gameweek 3
| Pos | Club | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic | 2 | +5 | 6 |
| 2 | St Mirren | 2 | +3 | 6 |
| 3 | Motherwell | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| 4 | Heart of Midlothian | 2 | +3 | 3 |
| 5 | Dundee | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 6 | St Johnstone | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Hibernian | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| 9 | Rangers | 2 | -1 | 1 |
| 10 | Falkirk | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| 11 | Dundee United | 2 | -4 | 1 |
| 12 | Kilmarnock | 2 | -5 | 0 |
The table was checked against the SPFL update published at 19:48 UK time on 9 August. Two matches remain a small sample; position and goal difference should support a pick rather than determine it alone.
Previous round results and form
- Dundee 2-0 Aberdeen
- St Mirren 1-0 St Johnstone
- Kilmarnock 1-5 Celtic
- Motherwell 0-0 Falkirk
- Heart of Midlothian 4-0 Dundee United
- Rangers 1-2 Hibernian
Celtic and St Mirren are the only sides with two wins. Motherwell are also unbeaten, while Kilmarnock are the only club without a point. Hearts, Dundee and Hibernian all enter the round after wins; Aberdeen, Dundee United and Rangers need a response.
The round also supplied two especially useful pieces of context. Kasper Høgh scored a first-half hat-trick in Celtic's 5-1 win at Kilmarnock, the standout individual scoring performance of the weekend. Hibernian's 2-1 victory at Rangers was the clearest surprise result: Callum Wright's stoppage-time winner overturned a prominent home assumption and is a reminder not to predict from club reputation alone.
Confirmed Gameweek 3 programme
Saturday 22 August
- Dundee United v Dundee — confirmed for 17:45 UK time
Postponed
- Rangers P-P St Mirren
- St Johnstone P-P Celtic
- Falkirk P-P Heart of Midlothian
- Hibernian P-P Kilmarnock
- Motherwell P-P Aberdeen
The three conditional postponements became certain after Hearts, Hibernian and Motherwell reached their UEFA play-offs. The SPFL European qualifying review confirms Motherwell advanced to face Freiburg and Hibernian advanced to face Gent, while Hearts moved into a play-off against Rapid Vienna. The SPFL's Round 3 update explains the postponement process.
Match-by-match preview
Dundee United v Dundee
Dundee start fifth after beating Aberdeen 2-0; Dundee United are 11th following a 4-0 defeat at Hearts. That gives Dundee the stronger current league evidence and a four-point advantage, but a city derby is a poor place to rely on position alone.
The clubs shared the Premiership last season, so recent meetings can be reviewed before the deadline. The most important fresh evidence is the contrast between Dundee's clean sheet and United's heavy defeat. Confirm availability after both clubs complete their intervening cup commitments.
Cup and European form update
The weekend changed the mood around several clubs without changing the league card. Aberdeen beat Dundee 3-0, with Kevin Nisbet scoring twice, while Celtic beat Dundee United 4-0 in the Premier Sports Cup. Hearts won an open tie with Inverness CT 6-2, Hibernian beat Partick Thistle 1-0, Rangers beat St Mirren 5-1, and Stenhousemuir eliminated Motherwell 1-0 after extra time. Those verified cup results are useful context, but the five postponed league matches must not receive predictions.
For the only active fixture, the cup results make Dundee's earlier league win less reassuring and show the scale of Dundee United's task. Jim ran the final pre-match recalculation on 21 August and retained 0-1 because both the result blend and score matrix lean narrowly towards Dundee.
ScoreSocial fixture predictions
This is Jim's final ScoreSocial review, recalculated on 21 August 2026 before the Dundee derby. editorial-score-v2 blends API-Football prediction data (70%) with Scorebot's stored probabilities (30%) and converts that result view into a Poisson exact-score distribution. The five postponed fixtures remain void and are not counted.
| Fixture | Predicted score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dundee United v Dundee | 0-1 | H 16% / D 39% / A 45%; expected goals 0.45–0.90; exact-score probability 23.3%. Dundee's stronger start supports the away lean, while the derby and narrow gap keep confidence low. |
Injuries and availability
No complete official Dundee derby absence list was available at the 21 August 2026 fact check. This must not be interpreted as every player being fit.
Check both clubs' official previews near the deadline. The other ten clubs do not require availability analysis for this round because their fixtures are postponed.
What the evidence suggests for predictors
- Predict only the Dundee derby. Five fixtures are confirmed postponed and void.
- Use the cup results as fresh context, not as a direct league ranking.
- The 0-1 was recalculated before kickoff. Its 21 August revision record is now fixed and must not change once the active match begins.
- Leave room for late information. Cup, European and medical updates can change both the fixture list and team availability.
Review the completed Gameweek 2 results and predictor conclusions for the evidence behind the current table. Next, read the Scottish Premiership Gameweek 4 predictions and team-news preview. The Scottish Premiership prediction league guide explains the wider competition rhythm.
Browse the latest football prediction guides for other current rounds and compare Jim's recorded outcomes on the prediction results page.
Sources reviewed
- SPFL Premiership table, fixtures and results
- SPFL Gameweek 2 Saturday round-up
- SPFL Gameweek 2 Sunday review
- SPFL Round 3 postponement update
- SPFL UEFA qualifying round-up
- SPFL Premier Sports Cup Saturday round-up
- SPFL Sunday cup round-up
- SPFL weekend in numbers
Fact-check date: 21 August 2026. Result check date: 22 August 2026, using ScoreSocial's API-Football-backed fixture record; the active fixture is final and five postponed fixtures remain excluded.