For the Scottish Premiership the first weekend in February is highlighted by a six-pointer in the relegation battle in Dingwall. By the time the games start the transfer window will be closed, and it has been an eventful one in the Scottish Premiership. There have been plenty of moves across the league and it’s added a bit of uncertainty in some line-ups for this week at least. We’ll try and pick out the safer options to target this weekend and those with question marks that might be best avoided.

In the interest of openness, I do own cards of some of the players I’m recommending (you can check out my gallery here) and I will mark them with an asterisk (*). But, I’ll also try and include some players I don’t have. I’m certainly not Nostradamus, as evidenced by my Cap 240 results to date, so I recommend you do your own research when picking up players.

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The Games

Aberdeen-Celtic  After an underwhelming season in the league and Europe, Aberdeen have parted ways with manager Barry Robson. In fairness to him, they did make the final of the Viaplay Cup and had a memorable win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Europe. However, in the Premiership, Aberdeen sit in 8th place, 18 points behind Hearts in third (admittedly with two games in hand). It’s been tough sledding for Aberdeen in recent weeks, the Dons have just 1 league win in their last five games. On the other side, Celtic have scored 3 goals in 4 of their last 5 away games, the outlier being a shock loss to Kilmarnock in December. Even with a couple of players still at the Asian Cup, Celtic should have no issues scoring multiple goals again this week although I do think they could concede in this one.

Dundee-Hearts  Dundee home games have been a bit of a rarity of late, this weekend’s game is just their second home game since November! With all the away games their form has suffered a little, but they have managed to pick up enough points to remain in the top half of the table. It won’t be the easiest homecoming against third-placed Hearts. Hearts are unbeaten in their last 7 games and picked up wins in 6 of them. Away from home they have lost just once since the start of November and won their remaining 6 away games. The two sides met at Dens Park in August when Dundee ran out 1-0 winners. It’ll likely be another close game this weekend but I expect Hearts will take something away with them.

Hibernian-St Mirren  This game is a tough one to call, both Hibs and St Mirren have seen the form dip in recent weeks after some strong performances earlier in the year. Hibs had a run of 4 wins in 5 games between November and December, but are winless in their last five since beating Livingston on the 9th of December. The picture is only marginally better for St Mirren who have won 1 of 6 games since the same date. Neither team is particularly strong defensively, so I’d look more towards forwards and midfielders in this game than defensive players.

Motherwell-Kilmarnock  One of the leagues biggest underperformers in Motherwell host perhaps the leagues biggest over performers in Kilmarnock this weekend. After a fantastic end to the 22/23 season Motherwell have struggled with injuries and have been appalling defensively. There are some promising signs at least, Motherwell have only lost one of their last five and that was to Rangers. On the other side Kilmarnock sit in 4th place at the moment, albeit 10 points adrift of 3rd placed Hearts. They have some injury and suspension issues of their own to deal with, including goalkeeper Will Dennis. There should be goals for both sides in this one and perhaps an opportunity for Motherwell to eke out another victory.

Rangers-Livingston  There isn’t an awful lot to say on this one, Rangers should have no issues dispatching of Livingston at Ibrox to keep pace in the race for the title. For Livingston it looks like it’ll be a 15th consecutive Premiership game without a victory – it’s looking really bleak for them. They’re 6 points adrift at the bottom of the table and 11th placed Ross County have two games in hand. For Sorare it’s obviously a game to avoid Livingston players, and whilst Rangers players may be expensive they have potential for huge scores this week!

Ross County-St Johnstone  If Livingston look sure to be relegated, Ross County and Saint Johnstone are firmly in the picture for the relegation play-off space. Neither side comes into this in great form. Ross County have scored 7 in their 10 home games to date, whilst St Johnstone have scored just 2 in 10 away games. Both sides are winless this side of Christmas, so it’s a huge opportunity for both sides in the relegation battle. It looks like a tense affair and quite possibly a low scoring one. A draw feels the most likely result – definitely a game to target defenders over forwards.

Goalkeepers

Liam Kelly*, Motherwell – It’s not a great set of fixtures for goalkeepers this weekend, so why not go for a cheap option in Liam Kelly and spend the savings elsewhere! Kelly is just 38 points against the cap thanks to a horrible season for Motherwell to date. However, at least it means he doesn’t need to do much to provide a positive score. There is some hope for a good performance from Kelly. Kilmarnock aren’t a high scoring side away from home, and haven’t scored more than one on their travels since September.

Dimitar Mitov, St Johnstone – Dimitar Mitov is a bit more of an expensive option that Kelly, but at 45 points he still doesn’t break the bank. After rocky early start to the season, St Johnstone have been much better since Craig Levein took charge in November. Against a low scoring Ross County I think St Johnstone can hold them to one goal at most. In that case Mitov has the possibility to top 45 points with some AA scoring and if they can keep a clean sheet he’ll be a great value.

Other Thoughts: There’s not a lot of strong options this weekend. The goalkeepers on either side of the Dundee-Hearts game are probably the best of the remaining options. Will Dennis is questionable at this point in the week. Ross Laidlaw has been dropped for George Wickens who doesn’t have cards on the platform.

Defenders

Andy Considine*, St Johnstone – Picking a St Johnstone defender on the road isn’t usually something I’d recommend. However, they are playing against a low scoring Ross County side this weekend. Andy Considine has a history of putting up solid AA scores and isn’t overly expensive at 41 points against the cap. In games St Johnstone keep close, Considine is more than capable of getting into the high 40 or 50s. In fact he’s even managed to get into the 70s with AA scoring for St Johnstone, although that has required a clean sheet. I like Considine’s chances of providing a positive return this week, even if he doesn’t he’s not going to kill a line-up at his price.

Alexandro Bernabei, Celtic – Alexandro Bernabei stepped in for the injured Greg Taylor last weekend and put up an excellent 70 points with out a decisive against Ross County. Thanks to a couple of sub appearance in his last 15 games, Bernabei is still very affordable in capped competitions at 41 points this week. There isn’t much scoring history to look at for Bernabei, but he did manage 20 points of AA in his only other start in the last 12 months. The Celtic defence is usually full of strong scorers and there’s no reason to doubt Bernabei will follow that trend. Topping 41 points should be no issue at all and he has the good chance of scoring much higher.

Other Thoughts: Cameron Carters-Vickers looks set to miss a few games with injuries, I’d wait to see who the replacement is this week. Owen Beck is back in the Dundee defence, unfortunately he’s too expensive for the most part – he might fit into 270 line-up. Corrie Ndaba will miss Kilmarnock’s next two games due to suspension.

Midfielders

Joe Newell*, Hibernian – Joe Newell is a regular feature in my capped mode sides and is a great option in strong match-ups. Newell is the key man in the centre of the Hibs midfield and also takes the majority of corners and free-kicks this season. He is on the expensive side at 50 points, but he has a pretty strong AA floor and should get pretty close to that in a worst case scenario. Newell is capable of getting 60+ scores without a decisive and has the potential for a monster score if he can get one. Newell’s a great option for your captain this weekend and will probably be mine!

Yan Dhanda, Ross County – It’s not been a great season for Ross County to date and for Yan Dhanda it’s been quiet in front of goal. However, after being named captain following the winter break, Dhanda got off to a great start with an assist against Livingston last weekend. This weeks game at home to St Johnstone is as good a chance as any to make it two decisives from two games. Even if Dhanda isn’t involved in a goal he’s capable of putting up solid AA scores. Over the course of the season he’s outscored his 42 point cost in five games this season.

Other Thoughts: I prefer him at home usually, but Danny Armstrong* should be a good pick away to Motherwell where he’ll have another opportunity to be among the decisives. At 26 points, new boy Andy Halliday* is a bargain in the centre of the Motherwell midfield. We could see a start for Mohammed Diomande in the Rangers midfield, but there’s definitely some risk given he’s only recently joined.

Forwards

Dylan Vente, Hibernian – Dylan Vente hasn’t been in great form recently. The Dutch forward has failed to score since the start of December (in the right net at least), but has at least consistently lead the line. This weekend is a great opportunity for him to break his duck in front of goal. St Mirren have conceded in 9 of 11 away games this season so there should be chances for Hibs this weekend. Vente isn’t overly expensive at 41 points, but he is very decisive dependant. Over the season, Vente has exceeded 41 points without a decisive in just two games.

Liel Abada, Celtic – The Celtic attack has some surprisingly cheap options at the moment. This week I like the look of Liel Abada who comes in at just 33 points against the cap. He plays on the right wing for the Champions and did score when Celtic last visited Pittodrie in August. He should be able to outscore his cap with ease, but Abada doesn’t put up huge amounts of AA. For him to put up a really strong score we will need him to get a decisive of some sort. Aberdeen have only managed two home clean sheets this season, coming against relegation threatened Ross County and St Johnstone – so there should be no issues in Celtic scoring this weekend.

Other Thoughts: Daizen Maeda* remains at the Asian Cup for Celtic. It looks like Duk will be on the move from Aberdeen before the window closed – he was left out of the Aberdeen squad against Dundee on Tuesday. I didn’t expect much from Thelonius Bair, but he’s impressed for Motherwell since Mika Bierith‘s loan was ended.

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