Scottish Football Tips: Kai Watson's SPFL Bets, January 3
After a thrilling festive spell of football, attention now turns to the first round of Scottish football fixtures in 2026, headlined by Saturday's blockbuster Old Firm clash between Celtic and Rangers.
And Kai Watson, our Free Bets Scottish football expert, is back with his top betting tips and weekend predictions for the best of the action.
Scottish Football Tips
Here are Kai's five best football betting tips for the weekend, complete with the best prices available at the top UK betting sites.
Celtic vs Rangers - Both teams to score
I actually can’t believe the odds are not longer for this one, especially considering the magnitude of the game and how both sides have been playing. Celtic had been free-scoring prior to the Motherwell match and had scored seven goals in their previous two matches. However, after two wins in a row, where it looked like Nancy might be getting a tune out of the players, they were humbled at Fir Park midweek.
In all honesty, Motherwell absolutely played Celtic off of the park and the away side never really looked threatening and definitely were never in control of the game. It led many fans on social media to call for the Frenchman to be relieved of his duties but he’ll still be in the dugout at Parkhead for this one.
Rangers came away with two solid victories in their last two, beating Motherwell 1-0 then St. Mirren 2-1 with both games being at Ibrox. Defensively Rangers have massively improved under Danny Rohl and now have the joint best defence in the league, having previously struggled in that area under Russell Martin.
Despite how good the away side have been in terms of their defence I think the occasion may get to some players and in particular someone like Manny Fernandez who looks to have a mistake in him.
Celtic have been terrible defensively under Nancy and constantly leave gaps all over the pitch and look like conceding on most attacks. Add in to that the form of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and I would bet a lot on the home side not keeping a clean sheet here.
Up until the Motherwell match they were creating a lot of chances and someone like Daizen Maeda is always dangerous, especially in this fixture, so I do think they will manage at least one goal on Saturday.
This one is huge in the title race, a Rangers win takes them level on points with their greatest rivals but would also give Hearts the chance to go six points clear of both. It really is a monumental fixture for both managers, one to potentially save his job and the other to perhaps get the doubters fully on his side.
Motherwell vs St Mirren - Motherwell to win
Yes St. Mirren may have undone Motherwell’s gameplan at Hampden in the League Cup Semi-Final but Motherwell have only lost one game since then and they were perhaps unlucky not to come away from Ibrox with anything. It’s been ten games since that 4-1 drubbing and it represented a real turn around for Jens Berthel Askou’s side.
In those ten matches, the ‘Well have only conceded three goals, not conceding more than one in a game and keeping seven clean sheets, incredible really.
Not only that but they are so dynamic going forward and they showed that in abundance against Celtic midweek. Only Rangers have picked up more points than them in the last five with Hearts picking up the same number of points.
It’s the joint best defence in the league against the league's lowest scorers, being at Fir Park as well I just don’t see how St. Mirren can come away with a positive result here.
Hearts vs Livingston - Hearts to win & over 2.5 goals
Hearts will have been delighted by Celtic’s defeat against Motherwell as the top three have now played the same amount of games and Derek McInnes’ side are three clear of Celtic and six clear of Rangers.
This one is a must win given that they lost the Edinburgh Derby last weekend and their players should be fresh after a rest midweek. Livi were comfortably beaten at home by Dundee United midweek and are four points behind Kilmarnock and nine away from St. Mirren, who have a game in hand.
It’s been bleak so far for David Martindale’s side with the only bright spot being the form of journeyman striker Jeremy Bokila, who will score if they can create more chances for him. The away side are one of the lowest scorers in the Premiership and also have the worst defensive record.
Hearts have a great chance to extend their lead over either, or both, Old Firm sides, making this game that they’re already heavy favourites for a game they need to win. With Livi’s defensive struggles I don’t see them being able to stop Braga, Kyziridis and Shankland from running riot.
Partick vs Morton - Partick to win
Mark Wilson’s Partick side have drawn the last two matches which has allowed St. Johnstone to open up a five point gap at the top of the table. Just a few weeks ago the sides had been level on points but Partick have only won once in the last five matches and haven’t won any of the last four.
A disappointing 2-2 away to Queen’s Park, after being 2-0 up, would have frustrated the manager but they did get a man sent off just before half-time at 2-1 up. This is a great chance to put pressure back on the league leaders.
Morton have just confirmed Ian Murray as their Dougie Imrie replacement so the Jags fans will be hoping they can avoid that new manager bounce. Arbroath are also now only four points behind Partick and are the most in-form team in the league so that makes a victory in this one all the more important.
Morton are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league and Partick have the third best defence, I don’t expect it to be high scoring but I think the home side will win this one.
Stenhousemuir vs Queen of the South - Both teams to score
It’s second vs third at Ochilview with both clubs being level on points and just two points behind league leaders Inverness but they do have a game in hand. The previous two meetings between the sides have ended in a draw, the first being 0-0 then a 1-1 in November.
This is a huge fixture, especially with Inverness having lost their last two, and could be a chance to close the gap at the top and pull away from another competitor. I think both teams will really want the win here which could make it an exciting tie.
Queen of the South have won their last three, scoring seven and only conceding the one. Stenny got a good draw against Alloa and beat Inverness the week before that so have a decent, recent record against sides at the top of the table.
This could be the game of the weekend, especially in the lower tiers.
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