Scottish Premiership: Kris Boyd and Chris Sutton’s season preview as the top-flight returns this weekend live on Sky Sports

The Scottish Premiership returns this weekend with four matches live on Sky Sports to kick off the new season.

Ahead of the action getting under way, Sky Sports’ Kris Boyd and Chris Sutton have been discussing how teams are shaping up ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Here’s what the duo had to say about Celtic’s transfer activity, Rangers’ new start under Russell Martin, the Tony Bloom and Derek McInnes era at Hearts, who faces a battle to avoid relegation and much more…

Are Celtic taking a risk with transfers?

Celtic have made six new signings this summer but haven’t exactly splashed the cash.

Three of the new recruits arrived on free transfers, and the club are yet to replace Nicolas Kuhn or Kyogo Furuhashi who contributed 35 league goals between them last season.

“If you’re a Rangers fan, you’re quite encouraged by the lack of business which Celtic have done,” Sutton said.

“Last season, there wasn’t a title race. Celtic had buried Rangers in the first half of the season. They won 16 out of the first 18, and the title race was over.

“However, it’s interesting, Celtic won a double, lost the Scottish Cup to Aberdeen and yet because of their dominance in recent seasons, maybe there’s a sort of feeling of entitlement amongst some of the support base and they feel that winning is just normal.

“I bang on about Kyogo loads. They needed to replace him in January and Brendan Rodgers spoke about that. They didn’t replace him in January and haven’t replaced him yet.

“Nicolas Kuhn’s gone. Selling him for £19 million – I do think it’s good money for him, but there’s a Champions League qualifier coming up.

“You look at their goals and assists between the two of them last season, there are enormous holes to fill.

“Are they taking too big a risk? Is it one of those which comes and bites you on the backside if you leave it that late?”

When asked if Celtic could cash in on forward Daizen Maeda, following reports linking him to Brentford, Sutton added: “Maeda is like Maradona to Celtic. He is that important to Celtic.

“What would be the point if they sold Daizen Maeda? I mean, just sell all the players. I know Celtic have a model and I understand that, but that’s absolutely ridiculous. They can’t sell all their best players.”

What awaits Martin at Rangers?

It’s been a summer of change at Ibrox. New owners, a new head coach, a new sporting director, a new technical director, and of course, new players.

But there’s no grace period in Glasgow, as boss Russell Martin will be able to tell you already.

The Light Blues have successfully navigated a tricky European tie with Panathinaikos to reach the Champions League third qualifying round, but some supporters are a little apprehensive about Martin’s style of play.

So how much patience will the new man in charge be afforded by the Rangers support?

“It is going to take time and that is the modern way, and there are good players at Rangers,” said Boyd.

“in Scotland, we listen to the majority of fans saying, ‘oh, my team doesn’t have a style of play. We don’t do this. We don’t do that’.

“Russell Martin will come in and implement a style of play.

“So, you can’t on one hand say, ‘oh, we don’t have a style of play.’ Then you’ve got a style of play now and you’re going to moan about it.

“I think it might be different, and it might take time for Rangers fans to actually adapt to what is going on.

“As soon as you become the manager of Rangers or Celtic, you’re always going to be under pressure.

“Everybody thinks they’re better than you, everybody will sit here and criticise, but the reality is he’s a manager of one of the biggest clubs in the world.

“You want that first Old Firm game at home. Rangers have got that, and they’ve got three games before that.

“They’ll need to take maximum points going into that game. If they can do that, go to Ibrox, it’s a full house, ask a question of Celtic, then you never know.

“But the flip side of that is, if you don’t get nine points from your opening three games, and Celtic do, you’re under pressure right at the start.”

Could Hearts split the Old Firm?

Away from the Old Firm, Hearts also enjoyed a busy summer after a disappointing seventh-place finish last term.

The Jambos appointed former Kilmarnock and Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes as their new head coach and Brighton owner Tony Bloom invested almost £10 million in the club for a minority shareholding.

Bloom’s analytics firm Jamestown Analytics – who also work with Italian club Como and Union Saint Gilloise of Belgium – have been helping the Tynecastle club with their summer recruitment.

Boyd thinks it won’t be too long before Hearts can split Scotland’s big two.

He said: “I think Hearts are nailed down for third, and by the way, comfortably. They’ll be closer to Rangers and Celtic than they were last season as well.

“I’d say in a few years, I think it’s possible for Hearts [to split the Old Firm].

“I look at Jamestown Analytics and I look at the job they’ve done at Brighton. They’ve plucked people from South America.

“Moises Caicedo, Simon Adingra and others. They’re selling them on for absolute millions – Caicedo is one of the highest transfers in the Premier League.

“There’s absolutely no chance there’s anybody better than Brighton. Hearts will benefit from that and could split the Old Firm in a few years.”

Who else is in the race for third?

Hibernian took third spot last season but missed out on the reward of guaranteed league phase European football as Aberdeen shocked Celtic to win the Scottish Cup.

So, how well equipped are David Gray and Jimmy Thelin’s sides for the battle for third?

“For Hearts, I think it’s about building and getting a foothold. Derek McInnes is a good manager,” said Sutton.

“Hibs is one I’m on the fence with. In previous seasons they’ve found it tough but then look at what they did last season under David Gray.

“Remember at the start of the season, Hearts and Hibs went through a really dodgy period but they stuck with Gray, and they benefited from that.

“I think that’s a really good lesson for a lot of hierarchy in Scotland. The importance of sticking with a manager.”

Boyd added: “I think you could see in performances that Hibs were very good.

“There were decisions that went against them. There were mistakes. There were poor choices from players on the pitch that you felt, if you could get back to the training pitch and work on that, you could eradicate them and move forward.

“I think you’ve got to take into consideration Aberdeen have got Europe this year too. They’re guaranteed that that’s going to take them into January.”

With the duo predicting that Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian and Aberdeen would finish in the top-six, Sutton believes St Mirren could take that final spot again.

Stephen Robinson’s side have finished in the top-half of the table for the last three consecutive seasons.

Sutton said: “They are pretty consistent, despite not being a great watch at times.

“There’s nothing wrong with being direct, he knows what he has to work with and is very effective.”

Who could go down?

The Scottish Premiership lost St Johnstone last season after a 16-year stay in the top flight, while Ross County were relegated to the Scottish Championship via the play-offs.

They have been replaced by John McGlynn’s back-to-back promotion winners Falkirk, and David Martindale’s play-off champions Livingston.

Dundee, who clinched survival on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season, have parted ways with manager Tony Docherty.

Steven Pressley is the club’s new head coach but has endured a difficult start to life at Dens Park as his side were the only top-flight team to be knocked out of the League Cup during the group stages.

Sutton said: “Dundee worry me with everything going on there, and Dundee United to a certain extent with the overhaul of players, including losing Sam Dalby. However, for me, Falkirk will go straight down and Livingston will be 11th, just behind Dundee in 10th.”

Boyd added: “I think Dundee will finish bottom and Falkirk will be 11th, meaning they face the relegation play-offs.”

Opening weekend live on Sky Sports

The 2025/26 Scottish Premiership season will begin with four games live on Sky Sports on the opening weekend.

With the new campaign commencing on Saturday when Stuart Kettlewell’s Kilmarnock host newly-promoted Livingston at 3pm, Sky Sports will then deliver live coverage of Russell Martin’s first league match in charge of Rangers when the Gers take on Motherwell, in a 5.30pm kick-off.

That Saturday night clash will then be followed by a double-header of action live on Sky Sports on Sunday, with Falkirk marking their return to the top-flight after 15 years at home to Dundee United at 2pm, before champions Celtic get their title defence under way at Parkhead against St Mirren at 4.30pm in a repeat of their final league game of last season.

In between those fixtures on Sunday, Steven Pressley’s Dundee take on Hibernian at 3pm, and the opening round of fixtures ends on Monday night as new Hearts head coach Derek McInnes takes on his former club Aberdeen at 8pm, live on Sky Sports.