Scottish Premiership gameweek 4 predictions fixtures team news 2026/27
Gameweek 4 upcoming
Scottish Premiership GW4 Predictions & Team News – 2026/27
Celtic defend top spot, Dundee carry derby momentum and Aberdeen host a Rangers side still seeking their first league win.
By Jim · Fact-checked
Scottish Premiership Gameweek 4 brings the first full six-match league card since the European postponements disrupted the previous round. The SPFL match-day schedule confirms three Saturday fixtures, followed by Aberdeen v Rangers, Dundee v Hibernian and St Mirren v Motherwell on Sunday 30 August 2026.
Celtic begin the weekend top with a perfect six points, but Dundee are level on points after winning the only active Gameweek 3 fixture. This remains a small early-season sample. Position, goal difference and recent results can shape a prediction; Thursday's European matches and late official availability updates can still change it.
Table before Gameweek 4
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 6 |
| 2 | Dundee | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| 3 | St Mirren | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 6 |
| 4 | Motherwell | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| 5 | Heart of Midlothian | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| 6 | St Johnstone | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Hibernian | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| 9 | Rangers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 10 | Falkirk | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| 11 | Dundee United | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 1 |
| 12 | Kilmarnock | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 0 |
P means played, W wins, D draws, L losses, GD goal difference and Pts points. The official SPFL table was checked after Dundee's 2-0 derby win on 22 August. Dundee and Dundee United have played once more than the other ten clubs, so points totals are not yet directly comparable.
Previous round results and form
- Dundee United 0-2 Dundee
- Rangers P-P St Mirren
- St Johnstone P-P Celtic
- Falkirk P-P Heart of Midlothian
- Hibernian P-P Kilmarnock
- Motherwell P-P Aberdeen
Gameweek 3 produced only one active match. Drey Wright put Dundee ahead before half-time and Owen Bevan made it 2-0 after the interval, a result the SPFL derby report says lifted Dundee to second. Dundee therefore arrive with consecutive league wins and clean sheets. Dundee United, by contrast, have taken one point from three matches and have conceded six without scoring across their last two league outings.
For the other ten teams, the most recent league evidence remains Gameweek 2. Celtic beat Kilmarnock 5-1, St Mirren beat St Johnstone 1-0, Hearts beat Dundee United 4-0, Hibernian won 2-1 at Rangers, Dundee beat Aberdeen 2-0 and Motherwell drew 0-0 with Falkirk. One strong or poor result is useful context, not a settled trend.
Gameweek 4 fixtures
Saturday 29 August
- Celtic v Falkirk — 15:00 UK time
- Heart of Midlothian v St Johnstone — 15:00
- Kilmarnock v Dundee United — 15:00
Sunday 30 August
- Aberdeen v Rangers — 12:00
- Dundee v Hibernian — 15:00
- St Mirren v Motherwell — 15:00
These times were checked with the SPFL on 24 August. Broadcast selections and European commitments can still affect a Scottish fixture, so use the deadline shown inside ScoreSocial before submitting a score.
Match-by-match preview
Celtic v Falkirk
Celtic's two league wins, +5 goal difference and 5-1 victory at Kilmarnock make them the clearest early favourite on the card. Falkirk have one point after a defeat by St Mirren and a goalless draw at Motherwell. Their current league evidence is defensive rather than prolific.
There is more recent H2H evidence than the table alone suggests: Celtic's official February match page records a 2-0 home win, following a 5-2 cup win in September 2024. That supports the home direction, although a newly promoted side's first two matches are too small a sample for an aggressive scoreline. Celtic's final training and team update should carry more weight than an old cup margin.
Heart of Midlothian v St Johnstone
Hearts are fifth after losing at Aberdeen and then beating Dundee United 4-0. St Johnstone sit one place behind them: their 4-3 opening win over Kilmarnock was followed by a 1-0 defeat at St Mirren. Both have shown they can score, but each has also lost once.
Hearts' European programme introduces the biggest uncertainty. The club's fixture update confirms their league calendar has already moved because of UEFA commitments. Any prediction should therefore be checked again after Thursday's tie and the club's Friday availability update.
Kilmarnock v Dundee United
This is the meeting of the bottom two. Kilmarnock lost 4-3 at St Johnstone and 5-1 at home to Celtic; Dundee United drew 1-1 with Rangers before defeats of 4-0 at Hearts and 2-0 at home to Dundee. Neither side has yet supplied reliable positive league form.
Home advantage gives Kilmarnock a route into the match, while United have at least avoided defeat once. The defensive numbers make a confident clean-sheet call difficult. Treat this as a low-confidence fixture and prioritise late team news over reputation.
Aberdeen v Rangers
Aberdeen and Rangers both sit outside the early top six. Aberdeen followed an opening win over Hearts with a 2-0 league defeat at Dundee; Rangers drew at Dundee United and then lost 2-1 at home to Hibernian.
The midweek context matters here. Aberdeen's official match preview notes that Rangers beat St Mirren in the cup and Jablonec 1-0 in the first leg of their European play-off, but must travel for the return leg on Thursday before visiting Pittodrie. Aberdeen have a clear preparation advantage; Rangers have the fresher run of competitive matches. The final Rangers squad update may decide whether that rhythm or accumulated workload matters more.
Dundee v Hibernian
Dundee are the form side in this pairing after back-to-back 2-0 league wins over Aberdeen and Dundee United. Hibernian have three points from two matches, but their 2-1 win at Rangers remains one of the season's most notable away results.
The fixture is officially on Sunday, giving Hibernian extra recovery after their European commitments. Dundee's two clean sheets are meaningful but still come from a short sequence. This is a good example of why predictors should compare a stable domestic week with a more demanding but potentially confidence-building European schedule.
St Mirren v Motherwell
This is the only meeting of two unbeaten sides. St Mirren have won both league matches without conceding; Motherwell won at Hibernian before drawing 0-0 with Falkirk. Their combined record is three wins, one draw and only two goals conceded.
St Mirren's perfect start and home advantage create a narrow home lean, while Motherwell's unbeaten record argues against treating the match as routine. Motherwell's Thursday European tie is the late variable. Until official availability is published, a controlled low-scoring contest is a stronger starting point than a wide-margin result.
ScoreSocial fixture predictions
These are Jim's ScoreSocial score predictions based on the evidence available at the fact-check time. ScoreSocial's editorial-score-v3 model dynamically blends API-Football prediction statistics with Scorebot's stored H/D/A probabilities, shrinks thin early-season samples towards a Scottish Premiership baseline, applies a low-score correction and selects the score with the strongest expected ScoreSocial return while protecting the leading result direction. Jim checks late official team news before publishing. Predictions remain opinions, not guarantees.
| Fixture | Predicted score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Celtic v Falkirk | 2-0 | Model: H 55% / D 37% / A 8% · medium confidence. V3 recommended 1-0, but 2-0 is its second-ranked score (14.3%; 0.978 expected points). Jim retained the home direction and selected 2-0 after reviewing Celtic's two wins, +5 goal difference and recent 2-0 league H2H. Expected goals 1.25–0.45; thin evidence; sco-premiership calibration. |
| Heart of Midlothian v St Johnstone | 1-0 | Model: H 40% / D 36% / A 24% · low confidence. The selected score has a 12.5% probability and 0.776 expected points. Hearts' 4-0 response supports a narrow home lean, but the four-point gap between home and draw makes Thursday team news essential. Expected goals 1.30–0.95; thin evidence; sco-premiership calibration. |
| Kilmarnock v Dundee United | 2-1 | Model: H 41% / D 36% / A 23% · low confidence. V3 recommended 1-0, while 2-1 is a model-listed alternative (9.1%; 0.684 expected points). Jim retained the home direction but selected the alternative because the clubs have conceded 11 league goals across five combined matches. Expected goals 1.50–1.15; thin evidence; sco-premiership calibration. |
| Aberdeen v Rangers | 2-1 | Model: H 40% / D 30% / A 30% · low confidence. V3 recommended 1-0; 2-1 remains in its top-five matrix (8.6%; 0.658 expected points). Jim retained the home direction but selected 2-1 because Rangers arrive after Thursday travel while both sides have conceded in the league. Expected goals 1.35–1.15; thin evidence; sco-premiership calibration. |
| Dundee v Hibernian | 2-0 | Model: H 49% / D 35% / A 16% · medium confidence. V3 recommended 1-0; 2-0 is its second-ranked score (11.2%; 0.825 expected points). Jim retained the home direction and selected 2-0 after Dundee's consecutive wins and clean sheets. Expected goals 1.35–0.75; thin evidence; sco-premiership calibration. |
| St Mirren v Motherwell | 1-0 | Model: H 47% / D 36% / A 17% · medium confidence. The selected score has a 16.7% probability and 0.970 expected points. St Mirren's two wins without conceding support the home lean; Motherwell's unbeaten start keeps the margin narrow. Expected goals 1.25–0.70; thin evidence; sco-premiership calibration. |
Injuries and availability
No complete official Gameweek 4 absence list was available at the 24 August fact check. That must not be read as every player being fit. Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Rangers all have European commitments before the league round; their official Friday updates should be treated as the final availability source.
What the evidence suggests for predictors
- Celtic have the strongest result direction, not a guaranteed score. Two wins and a +5 goal difference separate them from Falkirk, but the sample is only two matches.
- Recheck the four European participants after Thursday. Travel, minutes and confirmed absences can materially alter Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Rangers predictions.
- Do not overlook Sunday's unbeaten meeting. St Mirren have the perfect start; Motherwell's win and draw make a one-sided assumption difficult to justify.
The Gameweek 3 result and postponement review records Dundee's derby win and the five void fixtures. The Scottish Premiership prediction league guide explains the competition format and weekly organiser routine. Compare Jim's archived calls in the prediction results record.
Sources reviewed
- SPFL Gameweek 4 fixtures
- SPFL Premiership results and table
- SPFL Dundee derby report
- Aberdeen v Rangers official match preview
- Hearts fixture update
- Celtic v Falkirk official February match page
Fact-check date: 24 August 2026.
Fixtures, results and table positions were checked against the SPFL; late availability remains subject to official club updates.