Billy Dodds
Former Scotland striker on BBC Sportsound

Tom Rogic could make his first appearance of the season today, with Celtic's Australian midfielder among the home replacements.

He had been linked with a move to the Middle East but that chat has cooled recently.

The sun is shining across most of the country as whistles sound to get the action started.

Goals please, and lots of them...

Hamilton Academical head coach Brian Rice has been discussing the difficulties his side have faced since their last game, with four players unavailable today due to Covid-19 protocols.

"It’s been a testing week – pardon the pun," he says.

"It’s been frustrating, but it’s part and parcel of the world we live in at the moment and we’re here to try to win a football game. There’s been a disruption, there’s no doubt about that. Of course it’s challenging, but we’ve got a team out on the pitch who know what they’re doing so I’m expecting a good show.

"You can read into the team news [Kyle Munro and Ross Callachan missing from the squad] how you like – there are two changes today, Scott McMann comes back in after suspension and Jamie Hamilton comes back into the team.

"We’ve had two very difficult away games and we’ve come away with six points. We’ve lost one away game at Celtic. Our away form’s been pretty good, but Kilmarnock are a very good team especially here."

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Celtic manager Neil Lennon tells BBC Sportsound: "Psychologically, it would be good to go top. Mentally, it's be good but we're only seven games into the season. We know there's a hell of a long way to go.

"Psychology is a huge part of sport. This person who we've got in (helping the squad) has worked at a high level in various sports.

"It'll be every fortnight either on an individual basis or a group basis. It's just up and running recently so hopefully we'll see the effects of it as we go along.

"It's great to be back at Celtic Park, we've only had two games here. Our concentration has to be good today."

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Is today the day Lawrence Shankland makes his mark in the Premiership?

The Dundee United striker, so prolific in the Championship over three seasons, makes his first start since the opening day of the season after a frustrating period out with a niggling injury.

St Johnstone are the only Premiership team yet to score a first-half goal in the league this term and Ross County have gone two games without finding the net, so this one might take a bit of time to spark into life.

Recent history also suggests it will be a tight contest, with six of the past seven league meetings ending all square.

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Will Celtic get the win they need to go top? The defending champions have won 10 of their past 11 home games against Livingston.

It was 4-0 at Celtic Park last season but the West Lothian side enjoyed a win and a draw at home either side of that.

New signing Shane Duffy has settled right in at Celtic, with the on-loan Brighton defender scoring in each of his first two outings. What are the chances of three in a row?

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Kilmarnock are unbeaten in six home league games against today's opponents but Accies are unbeaten in the past three Premiership meetings, earning a 2-2 draw on their last visit to Ayrshire last November.

Killie haven't really got going yet, with some up and down performances, but they were ruthless when last on their own patch, hammering four goals past Dundee United.

All of the Accies headlines this week have been coronavirus-related, but Brian Rice will be hoping his depleted squad can dig out a third successive victory on the road.

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Was that worth the wait, St Johnstone fans? Two changes, with Liam Craig and Stevie May coming in for Michael O'Halloran and Craig Conway.

No place in the squad for new arrival Craig Bryson.

One alteration in attack for County, with Oli Shaw making a rare start in place of Billy Mackay, who is not in the squad at all.

St Johnstone: Parish, McNamara, Kerr, Gordon, McCart, Tanser, McCann, Wotherspoon, Craig, Hendry, May.

Substitutes: O'Halloran, Davidson, Kane, Robertson, Rooney, Clark, Olaofe, Conway.

Ross County: Laidlaw, Randall, Donaldson, Iavacovitti, Reid, Tillson, Paton, Vigurs, Gardyne, Stewart, Shaw.

Substitutes: Tremarco, Morris, Mullin, Watson, Charles-Cook, Kelly, Wright, MacKinnon, Doohan.

These two have not met in the top flight since January 2015.

However, they are familiar foes, having faced off 12 times since then. The last of those was the Premiership play-off final in May 2019, which finished 1-1 after two tense matches - only for United to collapse in the shootout, failing to net a single penalty from their four attempts.

After promising starts, both teams have lost three in a row, so there's a lot at stake here to stop the rot setting in.

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Kilmarnock go with the same starting eleven that lost 1-0 to Aberdeen at Pittodrie last week, with Eamonn Brophy and Nicke Kabamba once again leading the line.

There's no sign of Youssouf Mulumbu, however, as he picked up a hamstring injury in training. Fellow midfielder Alan Power and goalkeeper Jake Eastwood remain out.

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Hamilton have had a tough time of it since their late victory over Livingston. Four Hamilton players are unavailable because of Covid-19 protocols and a further four are injured. Kyle Munro, who scored the winner at Almondvale, and Ross Callachan drop out of the squad, with Jamie Hamilton and Scott McMann replacing them in the starting line-up.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon indicated yesterday that Christopher Jullien might not make today's game after picking up a knock in training and the Frenchman is indeed absent from the squad.

Lennon makes three changes from the midweek win at St Mirren, with Jeremie Frimpong, Olivier Ntcham and Albian Ajeti coming in for James Forrest, Patryk Klimala and Odsonne Edouard, with the latter three on the bench.

Livingston also bring three players in with Ciaron Brown, Craig Sibbald and Scott Tiffoney all earning starts. Scott Robinson and Lars Lokotsch are benched along with James' brother Alan Forrest.

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The Perth side are a bit tardy with the team sheet.

Usually when I write that, they pop up right away on Twitter.

Lawrence Shankland starts for Dundee United after being benched for the 4-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox last weekend.

Manager Micky Mellon makes three changes from the loss, with Lewis Neilson and Peter Pawlett dropping to the bench and Dillon Powers out of the squad altogether.

As well as Shankland, in come Adrian Sporle and Logan Chalmers.

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Jim Goodwin makes two changes from the St Mirren side that went down 2-1 at home to Celtic on Wednesday.

Midfielder Kyle McAllister is returned to the starting line-up, as is two-goal Jonathan Obika.

Lee Erwin made his first start for Saints in midweek, and scored first goal for his new club, and he keeps his place in the side.

Goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal plays his third and final match for Saints on his emergency loan from Hearts.

Dropping to the bench is Dylan Connolly and Junior Morias.

Billy Dodds
Former Scotland striker on BBC Sportsound

Dundee United: Siegrist, Sporle, Reynolds, Clark, Edwards, Chalmers, Robson, Butcher, Bolton, Harkes, Shankland

Substitutes: Deniz, Powers, McMullan, Pawlett, C.Smith, Glass, Freeman, Appere, Neilson

St Mirren: Zlamal, Fraser, Shaughnessy, McCarthy, Tait, McGrath, Erhahon, Foley, McAllister, Erwin, Obika

Substitutes: Urminsky, Sheron, MacPherson, Connolly, Durmus, Jamieson, Morias

Kilmarnock: Rogers, Millen, Broadfoot, Findlay, Waters, Burke, Tshibola, Dicker, Kiltie, Brophy, Kabamba.

Substitutes: Doyle, McGowan, Haunstrup, Dikamona, Ibsen Rossi, McKenzie, Pinnock, Cameron, Whitehall.

Hamilton Academical: Fulton, Odoffin, Hamilton, Want, McMann, Collar, Martin, Mimnaugh, Moyo, Templeton, Ogkmpoe.

Substitutes: Gourlay, Trafford, Hughes, Fjortoft, Stanger, Winter, Smith, Owolabi, Johnson.

Celtic: Barkas, Elhamed, Duffy, Ajer, Frimpong, Ntcham, Brown, McGregor, Taylor, Ajeti, Christie.

Substitutes: Bain, Bitton, Klimala, Soro Turnbull, Rogic, Edouard, Elyounoussi, Forrest.

Livingston: McCrorie, Devlin, Ambrose, Guthrie, Brown, Serrano, Bartley, Holt, Sibbald, Pittman, Tiffoney.

Substitutes: Stryjek, Taylor-Sinclair, Lawson, McMillan, Pignatiello, Robinson, Forrest, Poplatnik, Lokotsch.