Scottish Premiership Season Predictions 25/26 - Kai Watson's 1-12
Kai Watson 
We are at the final point in Scotland, as today we have our Scottish Premiership betting predictions from Kai Watson.
He's been through the leagues, delivering thoughts to you exclusively on Free Bets and now we're at the big one! Celtic or Rangers? Anyone else to cause a shock? Find out below!
Don't forget, Kai has weekly Scottish football tips exclusively for us, they've already started coming in, and if you want to know the best bets in Scotland then be sure to check out his page.
Scottish Premiership Season Predictions 25/26
The final day is here and it’s time to look at the top flight. Clubs outside of Celtic and Rangers have been spending money this summer and the ambition has been great to see.
Hearts recruitment has been revamped by Jamestown Analytics, Hibs have broken their transfer record and Aberdeen have signed a former PSG academy prospect.
I still think the top two will be well out in front but behind them it could be as close as it’s been in years.
It’s still early in the summer transfer window so a lot can change but this is currently how I predict things to go, as well as odds from many UK betting sites for a number of different betting markets.
Celtic - 1st
1st - Celtic - League champions Celtic have money to spend this summer having just sold Nicholas Kuhn to Como for around €19m. They obviously lost Kyogo in January who wasn’t replaced but they do have Johnny Kenny and recently signed Callum Osmand from Fulham to back up Adam Idah.
Kieran Tierney is obviously a fan favourite and if he can stay fit is an incredible signing given the level that he’s capable of playing at. Hayato Inamura has also joined as an option at centre back, he’s left sided and comes from a market the club has had great success in, in recent years.
Their most exciting signing for me is Benjamin Nygren who joins from FC Nordsjaelland, he scored fifteen goals and had two assists in the Danish top flight last season. He can play in a variety of attacking positions and has a beautiful left foot, definitely one to keep an eye on.
A massive thing for Celtic, so far at least, has been managing to keep Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda. Towards the end of last season and the beginning of the summer break all three players were linked to moves away although there doesn’t seem to have been any concrete bids or offers. Carter-Vickers is without doubt the best centre back at the club and arguably the best player overall.
Hatate adds composure, an excellent passing range and the ability to drive the team up the pitch. After previously being criticised, Daizen Maeda silenced the majority of those critics last season by scoring 33 total goals with eleven assists in 51 appearances. Celtic fans want more first team upgrades but if last season's top performers can do it again, I make them favourites to retain the title.
*If you fancy Celtic, all bookmakers are odds on for them to win the title, but bet365 and Unibet are currently offering the best odds in our table.
Rangers - 2nd
2nd - Rangers - Russell Martin has a massive job to do at Rangers but I would be very surprised if the board were expecting him to win the title in the first season. A lot of work needs done to the Rangers squad and sales have been hard to come by so far. Releasing big contracts like Lawrence and Hagi was a good start but the club need to start receiving money for assets to go and further improve the squad.
Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane were rumoured to be departing but fees haven’t been agreed with AEK and Lille respectively so movement has perhaps been slower than some fans would have liked. That being said, Rangers have already signed seven players this summer;
Lyall Cameron
Max Aarons
Joe Rothwell
Thelo Aasgaard
Emmanuel Fernandez
Nasser Djiga
Djeidi Gassama
Oscar Cortes could also be included in that given his deal was made permanent in this window but despite that Rangers still remain light on the wings and are an injury or two away from disaster at centre back.
Goals need to be added this summer where that’s in midfield, from the wing or another striker depending on the Dessers/Igamane situation. I think someone like Mo Diomande will thrive under Martin’s leadership and system, he could add the goals from midfield that have been missing since Scott Arfield left.
I reckon the Rangers team will look very different come the end of the window but, as of now, I have them comfortably in second place.
*Main dangers to Celtic are Rangers, 2/1 across the board according to the latest football betting markets, can Russell Martin come in and being immediate success?
Hearts - 3rd
3rd - Hearts - Fancy recruitment analytics and Derek McInnes doesn’t sound like something that would go hand in hand but the Scotsman doesn’t have much choice at Hearts. Jamestown Analytics, via Tony Bloom, are in the building and have already identified some incredibly exciting targets to help them try and get back to being the third best side in the country.
One of the biggest bits of business they have done this summer is managing to get club captain Lawrence Shankland to sign a new contract. He didn’t have the same goalscoring heroics last season as he did in 23/24 but his overall game massively improved and he ended the season strongly.
Stuart Findlay joined on loan and Oisin McEntee signed on a free to tighten up the defence whilst Christian Borchgrevink, a right back, joined from Valerenga. Those signings may mean that Stephen Kingsley can move back out to left back to compete with Harry Milne to replace the departed James Penrice.
Goalscoring Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis joined from Zemplin Michalove in Slovakia, Elton Kabangu’s loan was made permanent and Claudio Braga, who has impressed in the League Cup, joined from Aalesunds having played in the Norwegian second tier most recently.
Their most exciting signing, in my opinion, is yet to come though in the form of Pierre Landry Kabore from Narva Trans in Estonia. The Burkinabe striker has everything you’d look for in a team's main goal threat. He’ll score tap-ins, screamers from the edge of the box, long solo runs, he holds the ball up and connects the play well also. I’m excited to see him in Scotland and think he, along with some of the other signings, can take Hearts back to third place.
*Fighting to be "best of the rest" Hearts are 25/1 with a handful of bookmakers, including Betfred. With an excellent football service, you can read more about this brand in our in our Betfred review.
Aberdeen - 4th
4th - Aberdeen - Jimmy Thelin’s side had an incredibly unprecedented start to last season then the wheels came absolutely flying off. They did get better, in spells, towards the end of the season and have made some interesting signings so far.
The most high profile one is probably Adil Aouchiche from Sunderland. The French attacking midfielder came through PSGs academy and spent last season on loan at Portsmouth. The signing came with no warning, no previous links and includes an option to buy at the end. He hasn’t reached his ceiling yet and is the type of player that can win you points by making something out of nothing.
Left footed, right winger Nicolas Milanovic comes having stood out in Australia and should provide a completely different option to someone like Topi Keskinen. Kusini Yengi joined having struggled with injury and game time at Portsmouth last season but the big striker has six in his last eight matches for Australia and could be a nuisance for defenders.
In another surprise deal they signed left back Emmanuel Gyamfi from Schalke having impressed in the Eerste Divisie for VVV-Venlo last season. He will bring athleticism that had previously been missing from that side and seems like an upgrade on Jack MacKenzie. Losing Jamie McGrath was a tough one to take but Milanovic has the potential to be even better for the Dons.
Thelin will be hoping Pape Gueye starts the season the way he did last year but, this time, manages to avoid injury. If he doesn’t I think Yengi will be waiting to take over.
Hibernian - 5th
5th - Hibernian - I think it will be a close race for fourth place between Hibs and Aberdeen. David Gray’s side had a miraculous come back last season, going all the way from bottom to a third placed finish.
They’ve made some really clever signings so far, in my opinion, the first one, which was announced a while ago, was Jamie McGrath. They not only weakened a positional rival but also added a player of quality to the squad. McGrath scored four goals with six assists last season, he’s a creative threat but can also create shots from himself and is a good option for free kicks.
The next smart signing, in my eyes, is Josh Mulligan. Rangers and Charlton were heavily linked after it was clear he wouldn’t sign a new deal at Dens. He can play all up the right hand side and also as a central midfielder. He’s a Scotland U21 international and already has over 50 Scottish Premiership appearances so far.
Goals were perhaps a slight concern for me, although I rate Kieron Bowie it’s unclear whether he can stay fit throughout a full season. Now a Scotland international, I’m surprised there wasn’t more interest summer given his end of season form and physical profile. Just a few days ago, though, Hibs went and smashed their transfer record to sign Thibault Klidje from FC Luzern in Switzerland.
He scored ten domestic league goals last season and David Gray will be hoping that he can not only carry that form over to the Premiership but perhaps even improve it. I may be underestimating Hibs here and they could be closer to Hearts but it all depends on how their window ends and how Europe impacts their league form.
Dundee United - 6th
6th - Dundee United - Dundee United will have European football to contend with this season. They enter the Conference League early so have a few rounds before they make it to the group stage.
They’ve been busy in the market to make sure they’ve not only improved the squad but given it plenty of depth. They’ve signed eight players so far this summer from a variety of different markets.
They’ve shopped in Austria, Australia, Croatia, England, France, Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. They did similar last season in terms of their recruitment and it led to finishing fifth in their first season back in the league.
They signed Ukrainian goalkeeper Yevgeniy Kucherenko from LNZ Cherkasy from a reported €300k to bolster the quality between the sticks.
They’ve added two big centre backs in Bert Esselink (6’3) who joined from Stal Mielec in Poland and Iurie Iovu (6’5) who joined from NK Istra 1961 in Croatia. They’ve also added 20-year-old promising right back Dario Naamo on loan from St. Pölten in the Austrian second tier.
In the midfield they’ve added Isaac Pappoe on loan from Ferencvaros and Panutche Camara who was last at Crawley. Up top they’ve added Amar Fateh on loan from Troyes and signed Zachary Sapsford from Western Sydney Wanderers.
The latter is a 22-year-old striker who scored eight regular season goals averaging 0.47 goals Per90 in the A-League and I think he’s one to look out for.
They have good squad quality and depth, it will all depend on how their new players settle whether they improve on last season or not.
St Mirren - 7th
7th - St. Mirren - As of now, I don’t think St. Mirren have done enough with their squad to show that they can finish in the top half again. Stephen Robinson’s side will always be well organised and tough to play through but most of their business so far has been securing players that were on loan last season or replacing outgoings.
Richard Taylor is a big loss at centre back after he departed to go to Bolton, losing Boyd-Munce also takes away some creativity and goal-threat from the midfield. Greg Kiltie was a good option in the wide areas but has gone back to Kilmarnock and Elvis Bwomono was a good option as a wide centre back or wing back but he’s also departed on a free.
They are also taking a loss on Owen Oseni, a signing I was excited about, after only coming in, in January he signed for Plymouth for around €70k.
I do like the business they have done though, Killian Phillips and Roland Idowu join permanently after impressing last season. Goalkeeper Ryan Mullen joined from rivals Morton on a free, as did former Aberdeen right back Jayden Richardson and ex-Killie midfielder Liam Donnelly.
Perhaps the most interesting signing is 23-year-old centre back Richard King though. The Jamaican international was previously linked to Rangers but the Paisley side have swooped to pick him up on a free. In terms of a Richard Taylor replacement he’s of a pretty good calibre!
As always, they’ll be tough to beat but I’m not sure they have enough goals in the side after losing Olusanya just before the season ended.
Kilmarnock - 8th
8th - Kilmarnock - Kilmarnock lost some key players this summer and also manager Derek McInnes who has been replaced by Stuart Kettlewell. Kettlewell is a slightly controversial figure considering all that surrounded his departure from Motherwell but he has a decent record in the Premiership so this could work.
In terms of outgoings, Killie lost captain Kyle Vassell on a free (looks set to move to the USL), Liam Donnelly to St. Mirren, Joe Wright to Bradford, Fraser Murray to Wigan, Danny Armstrong to FC Dinamo in Romania and Bobby Wales to Swansea for around €300k.
Some of those moves highlight how good their recruitment has been in recent years and the Wales money should give them some more scope to strengthen the squad. They’ve been really busy again and I am a fan of some of the moves that they’ve made.
Two goalkeepers have been signed to play along with Robby McCrorie, Maksymilian Stryjek joins from Jagiellonia in Poland and 21-year-old Eddie Beach has signed after being released from Chelsea.
Scott Tiffoney has signed from Dundee as an option on the wing alongside Greg Kiltie returning to the club, Jamie Brandon comes in from Livingston and probably becomes first choice at right back instead of playing a centre back there. George Stanger joins from local rivals Ayr United after an impressive season in the Championship to add to their solid centre back options. Jack Thomson from Queen’s Park and Tom Lowery from Portsmouth joined as midfield options and two new strikers have been signed also.
Marcus Dackers is around 6’7 and joins from Salford and Djenairo Daniels is a Dutch forward that impressed at Cork towards the end of last season. If both new strikers can perform, they may be able to push Killie up the table.
Motherwell - 9th
9th - Motherwell - Motherwell currently sit this far down in my predictions due to my doubts over the current team being able to play the style that new manager Jens Berthel Askou wants them to effectively. This could all change by the end of the window but from what I’ve seen so far, I think they will concede a LOT of goals this season.
They’ve cleared some deadwood out of the club to free up some wages for signings but did lose Dan Casey to Wycombe, a player they definitely would have wanted to keep. Some of the business they’ve done so far though is really interesting and they have clearly been scouting far and wide.
New Zealand international winger Elijah Just recently signed from AC Horsens in the Danish second tier, Lukas Fadinger signed from SCR Altach in the Austrian Bundesliga and Ibrahim Said joined from Danish Superliga side Viborg. Those are three attacking options that come in but may take time to adjust to Scottish football.
Jordan McGhee and Elliot Watt were playing in the Premiership last season though and I think they are good signings that improve the squad. Eseosa Sule is a highly rated young striker that has signed on loan from West Brom, Emmanuel Longelo was signed recently from Birmingham and is a quality option at left back.
How their squad looks probably depends on the sale of Lennon Miller, I’d imagine they’ll look to sell him this window and that money could be used to strengthen the squad even further. They need players that can play how the manager wants, if they can do that, or the current players can adjust quickly, then they may do a lot better than I’m currently predicting.
Falkirk - 10th
10th - Falkirk - So far Falkirk are entering the season with a lot of their squad from last season. I do respect the choice that John McGlynn seems to be making in showing faith to the players that have done so well for him but stepping up from the Championship to the Premiership is completely different from the League One to Championship step up.
There are some players I think will have no issue with playing at the next level like Brad Spencer, Calvin Miller, Ethan Ross, Coll Donaldson, Tom Lang, Liam Henderson and, of course, Scott Arfield. The rest of the previous squad though I think need to prove themselves at the beginning of the season.
They’ve made some interesting signings so far though, Scott Bain joins as an experienced option between the posts, Lewis Neilson joins from Hearts on loan to continue his top flight development. Henry Cartwright joins on loan from Leicester but isn’t a player I know much about but perhaps their highest profile signing so far has been Brian Graham.
The player-manager was excellent for Partick last season scoring 21 total goals in 43 appearances. Does the 37-year-old still have what it takes to be a goalscorer in the top flight though?
John McGlynn had Falkirk playing good football in the Championship but will that, and their squad strength, translate well to the Premiership and be enough to help them stay up? I’m not 100% sure it will be.
Dundee - 11th
11th - Dundee - Dundee have lost some of their best players from last season, a year on after losing talisman Luke McCowan. Lyall Cameron, who was their second top scorer and joint-top in assists last season, has departed to Rangers. Josh Mulligan was the other player with the most assists last season, he also added a lot of energy and ball carrying ability but he’s signed for Hibs. Defenders Antonio Portales, Joe Shaughnessy and Jordan McGhee have also all departed, leaving gaps in terms of experience and quality at the back.
Mo Sylla surprisingly signed for Livi but he was a regular in the midfield and winger Scott Tiffoney went to Kilmarnock, more goals and assists that have to be replaced.
Only one centre back has been brought in so far in Bulgarian giant Plamen Galabov but Drey Wright has also been signed who may be asked to cover Mulligan’s position. English midfielders Paul Digby and Callum Jones signed from Cambridge and Hull City respectively. They have further invested in the English market with strikers Ashley Hay (Brentford B) and Emile Acquah (Barrow) coming in to support Simon Murray, winger Tony Yogane has also joined from Brentford B.
There’s also big questions over Steven Pressley and whether he has the managerial ability to keep this Dundee side out of trouble. On paper, I think that they are weaker than last season, they had no issue scoring goals but plenty of issues keeping them out and I think their defence is now worse. I see this being a season of struggle for the Dees.
*Dundee are favourites to finish bottom of the Premiership. This is a market currently only available with bet365, and for more on this brand, you can check out our bet365 review where we take an in depth look at what they offer.
Livingston - 12th
12th - Livingston - I think Livingston have the weakest squad in the league and although they’ve added plenty of experience, the team resembles more of a ‘Championship super team’ than one that will do much damage in the Premiership.
I think losing Jamie Brandon is massive, in my opinion he’s a Premiership quality right back and those can be hard to come by. Not only does he provide quality but also consistency and leadership at the back, I think Livi will miss him massively. Stephen Kelly could also be a big miss from midfield, especially considering his end of season form. They haven’t really lost anyone else apart from Michael Nottingham but have been busy bringing players in.
They have brought back Macaulay Tait on loan for the season and Stevie May joins on a permanent deal having been on loan last season. Jannik Wanner I think could be an exciting signing on the wing, in Austria’s second tier he scored nine goals with eleven assists in 30 appearances last season, very impressive numbers.
Another signing I like is Mo Sylla from Dundee, he provides ball carrying and assuredness in the middle of the pitch and is capable of slowing the game down when needed. They have signed two 25-year-olds in Connor McLennan and Zak Rudden, both are very good players in the Championship but I’m unsure if they have the quality to help keep them up.
Graham Carey is an experienced signing that adds quality delivery from set-pieces and open-play but doesn’t have the legs to buzz around the park like he may be expected to. Cammy Kerr and Shane Blaney are solid defensive additions and are definitely capable of playing in the Premiership.
Is their squad stronger than last season’s? Yes, is it good enough? I don’t think it is yet.
Scottish Premiership Winner Odds
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And here's a look at the market for who will finish bottom of the Scottish Premiership this season.
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