Scottish football clubs are preparing for a busy weekend of Premiership fixtures, with several sides still shaking off the effects of midweek European exertions while others look to build early-season momentum.
Dundee host Aberdeen on Saturday having impressed against champions Celtic at Celtic Park on Monday, despite head coach Steven Pressley facing criticism for downplaying his side's prospects both in that fixture and across the league campaign. The Dens Park outfit arrive on the back of five consecutive home victories, three of which came in the top flight, and have won their last two meetings with Aberdeen after a long winless run of 33 games against the Dons. However, Aberdeen have found the net at least twice in each of their last seven league encounters with Dundee and come into the match in strong form under Stephen Robinson, who has overseen four wins in five Premiership outings since a season-opening loss to Hearts. Only Celtic have accumulated more points than Aberdeen since April. Striker Kevin Nisbet, who scored and assisted in the win over Hearts, has netted in each of his last three away league games and will fancy his chances at Dens Park.
Elsewhere, St Mirren welcome newly promoted St Johnstone to Paisley, with the visitors hoping to secure back-to-back Premiership wins to open a season for the first time since 2017. St Johnstone's Jamie Gullan, a former Hibernian trainee, marked his return to the top flight with two assists in a 4-3 win over Kilmarnock, standing out for his attacking contributions in the final third.
European competition continues to dominate headlines, with Motherwell and Hibernian both eyeing progress in their Conference League qualifying second legs. Motherwell, who drew 1-1 away to HJK Helsinki, will look to complete the job under new manager Alfred Johansson, who has continued the attacking approach established by predecessor Jens Berthel Askou. Domestically, though, Motherwell face a tough test against Falkirk, unbeaten in six meetings and victorious in their last three visits to Fir Park, while John McGlynn's side have endured a difficult run of four straight Premiership defeats since beating Motherwell in May.
Hibernian, who scraped past North Macedonia's Shkendija 2-1 in Europe following an opening-day league defeat to Motherwell, travel to Ibrox aiming to become the first team to win consecutive league fixtures there since their 2-1 triumph in May. Such a result would pile further pressure on new Rangers boss Derek McInnes, who is still searching for consistency after a midweek defeat in Poland. Nicolas Raskin returned from World Cup duty as a substitute in that match and, alongside Cammy Devlin, could push for a starting role against Hibs. Norwegian international Thelo Aasgaard, who has scored in his last three appearances, remains a mixed bag for McInnes, while youngster Findlay Curtis is also in contention after a bright cameo.
Celtic, meanwhile, aim to extend their dominant start to the season with a ninth straight Premiership win when they host Kilmarnock, who have lost their first two top-flight games in 12 of the last 15 campaigns. Swedish forward Benjamin Nygren, Celtic's match-winner against Dundee, leads the league with 17 goals and six winners since last season.
Hearts, fresh off back-to-back league defeats, face a daunting task against Dundee United at Tynecastle, having not beaten them in three previous meetings there. New head coach Wouter Vrancken's side have conceded 14 goals in four matches, while United's defensive frailties on the road could make for an open contest.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.