Scottish Premiership: Battle for Second Intensifies, Spotlight on McCowan and Kettlewell

Despite Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers dismissing suggestions that the title race is concluded in early December, his squad has secured a significant advantage at the league’s summit. The reigning champions’ sole domestic setback was a home draw against Aberdeen, a result they rectified at Pittodrie on Wednesday. While Celtic is widely expected to claim the top spot for the 13th occasion in 14 years, numerous other narratives are unfolding within the Scottish Premiership. As Celtic extends its lead, focus shifts to the teams vying for the subsequent positions in the league table. Aberdeen’s recent struggles have enabled Rangers to narrow the points difference. Currently, a four-point gap separates the teams, with the Ibrox club holding a game in hand. Jimmy Thelin commenced his tenure as Dons manager with an exceptional start, remaining undefeated until November. Following their significant League Cup semi-final defeat by Celtic, Aberdeen secured a comfortable home victory against Dundee. However, they have since recorded two losses and two draws in the league. The likely response from the Swedish manager is expected to be composed. Furthermore, a resilient performance in their 1-0 midweek defeat to the league leaders, preceded by hard-fought draws against both Edinburgh clubs away from home, has prevented any feeling of despair. Thelin’s initial Premiership match resulted in a 2-1 triumph at St Johnstone, and supporters at home anticipate a similar outcome at Pittodrie, where the Dons had achieved seven consecutive wins before their narrow loss to Celtic. Nevertheless, St Johnstone secured four points from two of their three trips to the north east last season and has not suffered consecutive league defeats when playing away against Aberdeen since March 2018. Rangers have now overtaken Aberdeen at the summit of the home form standings, achieving this impressively by scoring six goals against Kilmarnock. A forward quartet featuring Danilo, Hamza Igamane, and Ianis Hagi demonstrated strong cohesion on Wednesday. However, given their recent limited playing time, Philippe Clement might contemplate squad rotation for Sunday’s fixture, especially with Tottenham Hotspur scheduled to visit Ibrox the following week. Rangers previously scored six goals against Ross County in their most recent encounter in Glasgow. Nevertheless, only Celtic and Aberdeen have secured full points from Dingwall this season, with both requiring late goals to do so. Ross County is also seeking consecutive home victories against Rangers, having defeated the visitors for the first time in 25 attempts in April. Rangers have recently struggled in their domestic away matches, securing only their second away victory of the season last weekend against St Johnstone, aided by an own goal. Across those six league away fixtures, they have netted three goals while conceding six. Clement is tasked with generating momentum, while Thelin must regain form, setting the stage for what is anticipated to be a compelling battle to keep pace with the league leaders. Luke McCowan has made a significant impact despite only starting three matches for Celtic since his transfer from Dundee on deadline day. The 26-year-old midfielder has contributed three goals and three assists in the Premiership and was a standout performer in last weekend’s substantial victory against Ross County. On Wednesday, he was listed as a substitute but entered the game to assist his team in securing a win at a challenging Pittodrie. Following widespread praise for his recent performances, and with a Champions League fixture against Dinamo Zagreb approaching, the former Ayr United player might increase his number of starts in Saturday’s home game against Hibs. Hibs had, in fact, aimed to break their transfer record to acquire McCowan before Celtic intervened at a late stage to assert their financial strength. It would not be unexpected if he were to demonstrate to the visitors what they failed to secure. Motherwell is currently experiencing a run of three consecutive defeats, each against teams positioned lower than them in the league table before the respective matches. Their next fixture is an away game against St Mirren, who are one point behind them in seventh position. Stuart Kettlewell’s team has conceded seven goals against Hibs and Dundee in their last two matches, and their most recent clean sheet occurred on the Premiership’s opening weekend in early August. The question arises whether the manager will be inclined to alter his defensive setup or maintain his current strategy for this historically low-scoring rivalry. Only two goals have been scored in the last three encounters between these two clubs in Paisley. Furthermore, this fixture has not seen more than two goals scored in the PA3 postcode area since Motherwell’s 3-0 victory in December 2019. Instead of focusing on tactical formations, Kettlewell’s primary concern might revolve around his players’ mental fortitude, given their capitulation when facing challenges at Dens Park, following a subdued performance at home against Hibs. Motherwell has a history of enduring extended periods of poor form, including a 15-match winless streak in the league last season, with previous campaigns featuring winless runs of 11, 11, and 12 games. Consequently, Kettlewell will be keen to prevent a similar decline from taking hold.