Hey, welcome to this week’s Four to Follow, Inside Left’s pick of the fixtures happening across Scotland this week.
I’m new at Inside Left, so I’ll hope you’ll cut me some slack and agree with my choices for this week. I’ve gone for the simple route and chosen a match from each of Scotland’s four professional leagues (SPL, Divisions 1, 2 & 3). I’ll also choose a player from each team that I think will perform well throughout the game.
So, with that said, on with the action!
Inverness CT v Dunfermline Athletic
This is probably the most interesting fixture in Division 1 this week, especially since The Pars are the team that I support. Despite that, this game should shape up to be an exciting mid-table clash. Both teams are sitting in the bottom half of the table, which totally defies pre-season expectations. The Highlanders won the last battle between these two, in a narrow 0-1 victory courtesy of a 91st minute Lee Cox strike.
The Pars have the stronger defence, conceding eleven compared to Caley’s twelve, but Inverness have the upper hand in attack, with twelve goals scored to Dunfermline’s eight.
Athletic gaffer Jim McIntyre has been told by the board that results need to improve, or his future at East End Park will be cut short. The rumour mill has been turning, with former Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen been linked to the job after being spotted at the Dunfermline v Ayr game, which The Pars won 3-1. This game will be crucial to Macca’s career, so expect The Pars to be throwing themselves at the Inverness defence.
Inverness will be on a high after beating Raith Rovers 0-1 at Stark’s Park on Tuesday night, and if they win against Dunfermline they will have fifteen points and could be within touching distance of the top spot. Terry Butcher will be looking to keep The Pars’ goalscoring duo Willie Gibson and Northern Ireland international Andy Kirk at bay, as the pair picked up goals against Ayr United last Saturday. Inverness have one of the worst home record in the league this season, so I’m sure Dunfermline will take that into consideration and exploit Caley’s defence as best they can.
I fully expect that this game will be an exciting one, but I expect Inverness to continue their poor home form. My prediction is a 1-2 Dunfermline win.
Inverness Key Player: Richie Foran
Dunfermline Key Player: David Graham
Aberdeen v Hearts
This should be a game to keep an eye on, especially since Hearts have still got a point to prove this season. Hearts have been having a tough time recently, already recording four league defeats and crashing miserably out of the Europa League. But the potential is there – we saw that briefly against Celtic, and in the Co-operative Cup against Dunfermline coming back from losing 0-1 and finishing the game 2-1 in their favour. Still they have yet to score more than two goals in a single game – they have the firepower, they just don’t know how to use it.
On the other hand, Aberdeen have been performing reasonably well so far, doing well against Rangers and sitting only six points off the top of the table, but once again done terribly in cup competitions, conceding eight goals against Sigma Olomouc and losing 3-2 to money-lovers Dundee in the Co-op Cup.
Both Hearts’ and Aberdeen’s defences are the complete opposites of each other, however. Aberdeen has only conceded four goals this season, compared to Hearts’ eleven. The Jambos have the upper hand in the goal-scoring department, though: eight to The Dons’ six. I don’t think there will be much between these two, so I’m going for a 3-2 Aberdeen victory.
Aberdeen Key Player: Lee Miller
Hearts Key Player: David Obua
Alloa Athletic v Dumbarton
Division Two has surprised me so far – I didn’t expect some of the teams that are at the top to be there. Teams like Alloa, Stirling, and East Fife for example. Teams that I expected to be at the top, like Dumbarton and Clyde are not, but I suspect that won’t last for long. Alloa has undergone some pretty extreme restructuring and development in the past few months, like expanding and renovating Recreation Park, and installing the controversial astroturf.
I have visited Recreation Park in the past few months, and I have to say I am impressed with what they’ve done to the place. They have definitely surpassed my expectations for them so far, only conceding six goals, scoring eight and sitting joint third with fourteen points. They have recorded some impressive victories so far, beating Dumbarton, Clyde and local derby rivals Stirling Albion.
Dumbarton on the other hand have not been doing too well, which is disappointing after being promoted from Division Three. They have only won two out of a possible nine, and sitting second bottom with eight points. They have the players, though – like Ben Gordon, the former St Mirren centre-half, and Stevie Murray, former Partick Thistle winger. I think eventually they will shine through, and they will give Alloa a tough game. My prediction for this match is a 2-1 Alloa victory.
Alloa Key Player: John Grant
Dumbarton Key Player: Stevie Murray
Livingston v Berwick Rangers
This should be some game. I say this because I think Livingston are just starting to get into their stride, and if they win this game they will only be one point from the summit of Division 3 with a game in hand. Put simply, if Livi don’t win the league this season, it will be a serious blow to the club and not to mention bloody embarrassing…
Livi have the stronger attack, with twelve goals scored to Berwick’s eleven. Both teams have equal defences; conceding eight goals each. There is not much between these two, so expect a tight, high-tempo match.
I think Berwick will be too confident this time around due to their 1-0 victory against Livingston earlier in the season, and they will also be desperate to win against the big full-time team. I think Livi know they are a class apart, so will take this game in their stride. My prediction is a 1-0 Livingston win.
Livingston Key Player: David Winters
Berwick Key Player: Alan Brazil
Do you agree with our predictions? Think there are better games out there? Then stop yer moanin’ and leave us a comment with your top games of the weekend!
Related posts:
- The Scottish Football Four to Follow
- Scottish Football’s Four to Follow
- The Ballbag’s Scottish Football Four to Follow
- The Week in Scottish Football
- The Week in Scottish Football
Tags: Aberdeen, Alloa Athletic, Berwick, Dumbarton, Dunfermline Athletic, Hearts, Inverness CT, Livingston, Scottish Division 1, Scottish Division 2, Scottish Division 3, SFL, SPL