Scottish Premiership: Things to watch out for this weekend

Aberdeen's game with St Johnstone was called off due to two positive coronavirus cases among the squad

Quiet first week back, eh? Two positive coronavirus tests in the Aberdeen squad, eight players in self-isolation and one game called off. It's just as well that the guilty Dons are not allowed to stray from home right now because if some of the club's supporters could get at them it might not be pretty.

By going to the pub, and breaking club, league and government rules determining the return to play, these guys have damaged their employer and compromised the league.

Holyrood is breathing down football's neck again. One week in and Nicola Sturgeon has put the game under the microscope thanks to the irresponsibility of these Aberdeen players. It's a reminder of how precarious the situation is. Much more of this and it'll be lights out all over again.

• Sturgeon hits out at Aberdeen players

• The key questions in the Aberdeen case

The football? Week one brought word that Bournemouth might be watching Stephen Robinson and that David de Gea is definitely watching Stuart Kettlewell, his doppelganger from Dingwall. Rangers signed two strikers, but all anybody wants to talk about is the striker they haven't sold - Alfredo Morelos.

The Colombian played at Pittodrie and in Leverkusen and didn't score. His head has been turned, says manager Steven Gerrard. For a talented player who has a huge transfer valuation on his head, Morelos has not found the net in his past 13 hours of football.

He has one goal in 18 hours. On Sunday, Celtic's Odsonne Edouard scored three in 33 minutes. The Frenchman has netted 14 goals in 15 games in 2020. You might say that those debates about who's the better striker are a thing of the past.

Week two, then. What mysteries await?

New Hibs, new test

Martin Boyle told his manager Jack Ross that he would score a goal against Kilmarnock last weekend. He was right, doubly so. His two goals won the game and his all-round performance - as a striker who then switched to the wing later on - was one of the opening weekend's standout individual displays.

A trip to Livingston is next. Livi are a different proposition on their own pitch. They won eight and drew four at home in the league last season. Only Aberdeen and Rangers beat them. They did Hibs and Celtic 2-0. A game at Livi always represents a physical and mental challenge and this is an intriguing one for this Hibs team.

With Josh Doig, Alex Gogic, Drey Wright and Kevin Nisbet in the ranks there is a lot of new energy in Ross' team. This will be an early examination of their mettle.

What do we make of Motherwell now?

On the face of it, Motherwell are in good shape. A fine goalkeeper in Trevor Carson, a solid enough defence with Declan Gallagher at its heart, a robust midfield with pace out wide, and a good goalscorer in Chris Long up front. They finished third last season and recruited well in the summer. Then they go to Dingwall, in body if not in mind, and lose, tamely, to Ross County. A missed penalty, a man sent off. It was grim.

They've won one of their past nine league games. Yes, one of the defeats was by Celtic, but the others came against Livingston, St Johnstone, St Mirren and now Ross County. All winnable games for Robinson's side. The Northern Irishman has been linked with multiple jobs over the past year or so. The one he has represents a fair old challenge right now.

They host Dundee United on Saturday. Between the end of last season and last weekend Lawrence Shankland has now gone four games without a goal - a veritable eternity in his free-scoring world. It's been three and a half years since Shankland went without a goal for four straight games. One thing is for sure, this 'barren' run will end soon enough. Motherwell will need no reminding of that.

Have Saints made strides?

Two things were noticeable about St Mirren's victory over Livingston last weekend - increased defensive robustness with a new goalkeeper and three new defenders ahead of him, but the same attacking concerns.

They won courtesy of a diving header from one of those new recruits, Richard Tait, but now they go to Ibrox where that stability at the back will be tested, presumably by Rangers' new boys, Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten. On form, Morelos doesn't deserve his place in the Rangers team at the moment. Gerrard might well try something new up front.

Jim Goodwin was understandably delighted with the win over Livi - they dealt with Lyndon Dykes with relative ease - but he'll know better than anybody that Livi's strength is at home and not away. Livi got just 11 points from a possible 48 on the road last season. Goodwin is an impressive guy who's trying to build a robust outfit. He'll surely relish the visit to Ibrox and will no doubt hope his players feel the same.

What odds a 3-1 win for Celtic at Kilmarnock?

All three games between these sides last season ended 3-1 to Neil Lennon's team - and all three of them featured goals from Edouard. He got four in total. With his hat-trick against Hamilton, Edouard has continued his unstoppable surge from last season.

Apart from some slightly hairy moments when the ball was in the air in their penalty box, Celtic were pin-sharp. Some of their length-of-the-field goals were wonderful - a blur of pace and deception and accuracy. Edouard is not just a terrific talent, he looks a great pro as well. It would have been easy for one so young - he's still only 22 - to have become distracted by a wish for a move to a more glamorous league, but he clearly hasn't been.

It's completely bizarre that he's not (as yet) the subject of big bids from multiple clubs, but that'll suit Celtic folk no end. It's a racing certainty that he'll be on his way at some point soonish, but in the meantime he looks focused and dangerous. The big fella is one of the best we've seen in Scotland in a very long time.