Eyes on Ibrox, Gueye goals & Kirk's chance

After another heartening midweek for a Scottish club in Europe, it is back to domestic business with five Premiership games on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Celtic and Aberdeen, both still with 100% records, will look to have extended their lead further over Rangers by the time the Ibrox side, fresh from their win in Malmo, host Hibernian.

Here are some things to watch out for over the next two days.

Game of weekend - Rangers v Hibernian

Sunday brings together two managers who, in three games since respective defeats at Celtic Park, have eased some of the pressure they were under.

David Gray's Hibs followed last month's 3-1 loss with two draws then a 2-0 win at home to troubled St Johnstone.

Philippe Clement's Rangers, meanwhile, have done even better since their 3-0 derby drubbing - recording three consecutive wins, culminating in Thursday's impressive 2-0 Europa League victory in Sweden.

The Belgian's side also advanced to the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals with a convincing 3-0 defeat of Dundee last weekend.

Hibs were not involved in the quarter-finals and will hope their two-week rest during a busy period for their hosts will compensate for a pretty miserable recent record against Rangers.

The Edinburgh side have lost seven in a row against their Glasgow counterparts since a 2-2 draw at Easter Road in August 2022, conceding 22 goals and scoring only five in the process.

That is the only game Rangers have failed to win in 10 meetings without defeat since Hibs progressed to the League Cup final with a 3-1 success at Hampden in November 2021.

Indeed, Hibs have failed to win at Ibrox in 11 visits since a 2-1 victory in February 2018, with Rangers winning the past 10.

Given that Celtic and Aberdeen could both have stretched their lead over third-top Rangers to eight points by kick-off on Sunday, another win will be seen as a must by the Ibrox support and Hibs will look to take advantage of any added pressure Saturday's results might bring.

Player to watch - Pape Habib Gueye (Aberdeen)

Pape Habib Gueye has warmed to the task after his Norway exile

Seven games, only one start - with no goals - into his Aberdeen career, Pape Habib Gueye found himself so out in the cold he was shipped across the North Sea to the west coast of Norway.

As Bojan Miovski continued to rise above the Dons' managerial problems and poor form to win a summer move to La Liga with Girona, the 25-year-old Senegalese striker was plying his trade on loan to newly-promoted Kristiansund in a 4,400-capacity stadium.

The last of his four goals there came in a 3-1 win over Sarpsborg in June and, when he rounded off his 16-game stay in a 2-0 defeat away to Viking a month later, there were few signs that Gueye would be capable of filling the gaping hole left by the departed North Macedonia international.

However, six goals in eight games since, the striker who arrived last summer from Belgian club Kortrijk, has found a new lease of life under Jimmy Thelin and been central to Aberdeen's 11-game winning run under their new manager.

Indeed, he leads the Premiership scoring charts, his five goals being the most by a player in their first four league starts since Marc McNulty for Hibernian in February-March 2019.

Gueye will be relishing the opportunity to face a Dundee side on Saturday who have gone 10 league games, and seven overall, without a clean sheet and who have gone from nine games unbeaten to four without a victory.

However, the Dons have not won at Dens Park in their past three visits, their 1-0 defeat in March helping Dundee remain unbeaten in their three meetings last season following two draws at Pittodrie.

Winning this one would be the kind of result Gueye and Aberdeen, behind leaders Celtic only on goal difference, need to show they have what it takes to mount a surprise title challenge.

Manager in spotlight - Andy Kirk (St Johnstone)

Andy Kirk has stepped into the breach after the dismissal of Craig Levein, saying he feels ready to take the job permanently.

However, facing so-far flawless league leaders and reigning champions in only your second game as caretaker is hardly ideal when you are trying to impress.

It could work the other way, of course. As it would be some achievement if the 45-year-old former Heart of Midlothian, Dunfermline Athletic and Northern Ireland striker was to eke even a draw out of Saturday's visit by Celtic.

Kirk has already ended the run of four defeats endured under Levein, with only a late two-goal fightback by Ross County denying him more than that 3-3 draw in Dingwall last weekend.

Celtic, though, arrive having won 14 successive games, including all eight of their fixtures this season, and have won 13 in a row at McDiarmid Park since a 2-1 defeat in May 2016 - scoring 49 goals for the loss of only nine.

Indeed, having won and kept a clean sheet in all five of their games so far means Brendan Rodgers' side are one short of matching Celtic's best-ever start to a league season - way back in 1906-07.

Saints, in contrast, have not won in 11 home league games and have lost their latest two meetings with Celtic 3-1, home and away.

Kirk's experience before becoming Levein's assistant was limited to being interim boss with Hearts, a year in charge of their women's team, then leading Brechin City to the Highland League title before losing to Spartans in the Pyramid Play-offs.

New Saints owner Adam Webb might want more of a statement appointment with his first choice of manager.

However, if Kirk was to lead his team to a first win over Celtic in 30 meetings since that 2016 victory, or even match the 0-0 draw at Celtic Park last August, he could make his candidacy difficult to ignore.