The grass at Rugby Park has been replaced by a new artificial surface. It's only just been installed so Kilmarnock won't have much of an advantage yet.

Aberdeen, tipped by every BBC pundit for second place this season, will be smarting after their opening day skelping and fired up for this one.

The Dons are unbeaten on their last four visits and have won four on the spin against the Ayrshire men.

New boys Dundee started with a 1-1 draw at home to Kilmarnock but can expect a tough test of their top flight credentials at Inverness tonight.

Caley Thistle were comfortable 2-0 winners at the other newly-promoted side Hamilton on Saturday, with prolific striker Billy McKay getting off the mark.

Both managers are keen on neat, possession-based football, so it promises to be a more cerebral affair than previous clashes between the sides, which often strayed into the blood-and-thunder category.

Image source, SNS Group

Celtic new boy Jason Denayer (right) checks out the McDiarmid Park pitch with team-mate Virgil Van Dijk.

Dundee United got off to a flyer at the weekend, winning 3-0 at Pittodrie. Can they build on that fantastic result at home to Motherwell, who also have three points in the bag?

Both sides are missing key defenders through injury but managed to keep clean sheets at the weekend and United showed no signs of missing summer sales Ryan Gauld and Andrew Robertson as they dismantled the Dons with a series of lightening quick counter-attacks.

Motherwell, runners-up in the last two campaigns, were nowhere near their best on Saturday but dug out a 1-0 victory at home to St Mirren.

Aberdeen bring back striker Adam Rooney, while veteran midfielder Barry Robson is on the bench. That might be to spare the old-timer's knees on the astroturf. Jonny Hayes is reinstated after serving a suspension but there is no return for skipper Russell Anderson, who is definitely not being risked on the plastic.

Former Don Josh Magennis is up front for Killie.

Kilmarnock: Samson, Barbour, Hamill, Pascali, Chantler, Connolly, McKenzie, Johnston, Obadeyi, Slater, Magennis. Subs: Brennan, Clingan, Cairney, Ashcroft, Eremenko, O'Hara, Muirhead.

Aberdeen: Langfield, Logan, Taylor, Reynolds, Considine, Flood, Jack, Pawlett, Hayes, McGinn, Rooney. Subs: Brown, Shaughnessy, Robson, Low, Smith, Goodwillie, Wright.

St Mirren: Kello, Naismith, Tesselaar, McAusland, Plummer, Brown, McLean, McGinn, Wylde, Marwood, Ball. Subs: Caldwell, Teale, Reilly, Kelly, Williams, Morgan, Ridgers

Hamilton: McGovern, Gordon, Canning, Gillespie, Garcia Tena, Neil, Crawford, MacKinnon, Imrie, Redmond, Antoine-Curier. Subs: Hendrie, Devlin, Scotland, Brophy, Docherty, Ryan, Currie.

Dundee United: Cierzniak, Watson, Morris, Fojut, Townsend, Rankin, Paton, Armstrong, Mackay-Steven, Dow, Ciftci. Subs: McCallum, Erskine, Bilate, Telfer, Spittal, Graham, Smith.

Motherwell: Twardzik, Reid, Carswell,McManus, Sutton, Lasley, Francis-Angol, Law, Kerr, Leitch, Erwin. Subs: Nielsen, Ainsworth, Lawson, McHugh, Neill, Cadden, Ferguson.

Inverness CT: Brill, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Shinnie, Vincent, Draper, Tansey, Williams, Christie, McKay. Subs: Esson, Doran, Ross, Watkins, Horner, Tremarco, Polworth.

Dundee: Letheren, McGinn, McPake, Konrad, Dyer, Ferry, Harkins, Thomson, McGowan, Stewart, Tankulic. Subs: Irvine, Davidson, MacDonald, Bain, McAlister, Boyle, Wighton.

BBC Scotland's Tom English on Twitter: "Tommy Craig walks away without response after being asked a valid question about Jim Goodwin's red card last weekend. Strange behaviour."

Partick Thistle: Fox, O'Donnell, Seaborne, Balatoni, Bannigan, Stevenson, Lawless, Higginbotham, McMillan, Osman, Fraser. Subs: Gallacher, Muirhead, Craigen, Doolan, Elliott, McDaid, Keenan.

Ross County: Reguero, Dreesen, Celcer, Quinn, Boyd, Brittain, Jervis, Kiss, Arquin, Fenlon, Carey. Subs: Brown, Cardle, De Leeuw, Maatsen, Boyce, Frempah, Baik.

New St Johnstone striker Adam Morgan is among the substitutes, while Steven MacLean will lead the line in the absence of Stevie May, who was sold to Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend.

For Celtic, Craig Gordon takes over from Fraser Forster in what will be the goalkeeper's first match in Scotland's top tier since May 2007. James Forrest is back in the first XI, while Efe Ambrose is joined on the bench by new loan signing Jason Denayer. There is no room in the squad for Leigh Griffiths.

St Johnstone: Mannus, Mackay, Scobbie, Anderson, Millar, McDonald, McLean, Caddis, Croft, B.Easton, O'Halloran. Subs: Banks, Wright, Wotherspoon, Morgan, Miller, Brown, Kane.

Celtic: Gordon; Matthews, Lustig, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Forrest, Bitton, Johansen, McGregor; Commons, Stokes. Subs: Zaluska, Ambrose, Boerrigter, Berget, Pukki, Kayal, Denayer.

SPLstats on Twitter: "Partick Thistle have not lost their first game of a top flight season since 1981/82. Their record since then is P7 W2 D5."

Dundee Utd v Motherwell

Inverness CT v Dundee

Kilmarnock v Aberdeen

Partick Thistle v Ross County

St Johnstone v Celtic

St Mirren v Hamilton

Good evening and welcome to the first midweek fixture party of the season. Everyone is invited, with all 12 top flight teams in action from 19:45 BST.

We'll get our first look at champions Celtic, who visit McDiarmid Park, and Partick Thistle, who welcome Ross County to Firhill.