The Scottish Premiership has only been around since 2013, but it undeniably holds a significant place in Scotland’s football arena. It was established after the merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League and now represents the top tier in the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).
Glaswegian Celtic holds the highest number of wins with 10 titles within the 12 years of the Premiership’s existence. They are also the defending champions of the 2024/25 season.
Relegated teams move down to the Scottish Championship, whose winner enters the Premiership next season. Several clubs finishing the season at the top of the league table get European places, their number based on Scotland’s ranking in the UEFA country coefficient.
In our Scottish Premiership preview we will take a look at the competing teams, key clubs and players to watch out for, and other insight that may influence the outcome of the season.
Introduction to the 2024/25 Season
The current season of Scottish Premiership started on 3 August 2024 and will carry on until 18 May 2025. The first match to start the tournament was Heart of Midlothian against Rangers that ended in a 0 – 0 draw. There are twelve clubs participating in the championship. Each club has to play 38 matches during the season.
Probably to no one’s surprise, the 10 time champion Celtic is currently the main contender for the championship title, with a 13 points lead from the second in line Rangers. As the top two teams on the league table, Celtic will qualify for the UEFA Champions League play-off round, while Rangers will qualify for Champions League second qualifying round.
Only one team from the bottom of the table will be relegated to the Scottish Championship. Currently, St Johnstone who is in the 12th place, faces high SPL relegation odds.
The full list of Scottish Premiership clubs playing in the 2024/25 season and their current results are as follows:
Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | Qualification or relegation |
1 | Celtic | 23 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 60 | Qualification for the Champions League play-off round |
2 | Rangers | 23 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 47 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
3 | Dundee United | 23 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 37 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
4 | Aberdeen | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 35 | Qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round |
5 | Motherwell | 23 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 31 | |
6 | Hibernian | 23 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 | |
7 | Dundee | 23 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 27 | |
8 | St Mirren | 23 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 27 | |
9 | Kilmarnock | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 25 | |
10 | Ross County | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 25 | |
11 | Heart of Midlothian | 23 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 24 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off final |
12 | St Johnstone | 23 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 15 | Relegation to Championship |
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Teams Competing in the Scottish Premiership
The beginning of the 2024/25 season saw very few changes in the list of participating clubs. Dundee United who had to miss out the 2023/24 season due to relegation to the Scottish Championship, returned to the Premiership again. At the same time, Livingstone, who finished the previous season at the end of the league table, having won 5 and lost 23 games, were relegated to the Championship.
The full list of the teams and their home base stadiums is below:
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
Aberdeen | Aberdeen | Pittodrie Stadium | 20,866 |
Celtic | Glasgow (Parkhead) | Celtic Park | 60,411 |
Dundee | Dundee | Dens Park | 11,775 |
Dundee United | Dundee | Tannadice Park | 14,223 |
Heart of Midlothian | Edinburgh (Gorgie) | Tynecastle Park | 19,852 |
Hibernian | Edinburgh (Leith) | Easter Road | 20,421 |
Kilmarnock | Kilmarnock | Rugby Park | 15,003 |
Motherwell | Motherwell | Fir Park | 13,677 |
Rangers | Glasgow (Ibrox) | Ibrox Stadium | 51,700 |
Ross County | Dingwall | Victoria Park | 6,541 |
St Johnstone | Perth | McDiarmid Park | 10,696 |
St Mirren | Paisley | St Mirren Park | 7,937 |
Key Players to Watch in the Scottish Premiership 2024/25 Season
Top Scorers and Hat Tricks
Currently, Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi and Dundee United’s Sam Dalby share the position as the top scorers of the season, both having put the ball in the net ten times.
For the Japanese forward, this is his fourth season with Celtics after he joined the club in July 2021. Furuhashi has been a notable goal scorer throughout this period, with his 50th goal for Celtics occurring already in the second season in an away game against Heart of Midlothian. Same year he was awarded the Scottish Premiership Golden Boot and player of the year award.
Wrexham’s Striker Sam Dalby joined Dundee United on a loan for the whole 2024/25 season. His playing style has often been described as similar to Harry Kane. His keen awareness of space often allows him to take the ball away from pressure.
Other top scorers of the current season include:
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
1 | Kyogo Furuhashi (Japan) | Celtic | 10 |
Sam Dalby (England) | Dundee United | ||
3 | Nicolas Kühn (Germany) | Celtic | 9 |
Václav Černý (Czech Republic) | Rangers | ||
Hamza Igamane (Morocco) | Rangers | ||
6 | Simon Murray (Scotland) | Dundee | 8 |
Bruce Anderson (Scotland) | Kilmarnock | ||
8 | Luke McCowan (Scotland) | Celtic & Dundee | 7 |
Martin Boyle (Australia) | Hibernian | ||
Cyriel Dessers (Nigeria) | Rangers |
The only hat trick that has so far occurred in the season belongs to Hamza Igamane who got it for his club Rangers in a game against Hibernian on 5 January 2025. However, this didn’t help Rangers win, as the game ended in a 3 – 3 draw. The goals for Hiberian belong to another top scorer Martin Boyle (32’ and penalty on 61’) and Rocky Bushiri (83’). This is Igamane’s first season in Rangers, he has currently scored seven goals in six games.
Noteworthy Transfers
Scottish Premiership League preview wouldn’t be complete without a list of the most impactful transfers. This season was busier for some clubs than others. Here are top transfers for the four clubs who currently qualify for places in European football.
Arrivals
Name | Position | To | From |
Arne Engels | Central Midfield | Celtic | FC Augsburg |
Adam Idah | Centre Forward | Celtic | Norwich City |
Vaclav Cerny | Right Winger | Rangers | VfL Wolfsburg |
Mohamed Diomandé | Central Midfield | Rangers | FC Nordsjaelland |
Lewis Fiorini | Central Midfield | Dundee United | Stockport County |
Ryan Strain | Right Back | Dundee United | St. Mirren FC |
Jeppe Okkels | Left Winger | Aberdeen | Preston North End |
Kevin Nisbet | Centre Forward | Aberdeen | Millwall FC |
Departures
Name | Position | To | From |
Matt O’Riley | Central Midfield | Brighton & Hove Albion | Celtic |
Alexandro Bernabei | Left Back | Sport Club Internacional | Celtic |
Todd Cantwell | Attacking Midfield | Blackburn Rovers | Rangers |
José Cifuentes | Central Midfield | Aris Thessaloniki | Rangers |
Tony Watt | Centre Forward | Motherwell FC | Dundee United |
Liam Grimshaw | Right Back | Released | Dundee United |
Bojan Miovski | Centre Forward | Girona FC | Aberdeen |
Connor Barron | Central Midfield | Rangers FC | Aberdeen |
Top Goalscorers 2023/24
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
1 | Lawrence Shankland (Scotland) | Heart of Midlothian | 24 |
2 | Matt O’Riley (Denmark) | Celtic | 18 |
3 | James Tavernier (England) | Rangers | 17 |
4 | Bojan Miovski (Republic of North Macedonia) | Aberdeen | 16 |
Cyriel Dessers (Nigeria) | Rangers | ||
6 | Theo Bair (Canada) | Motherwell | 15 |
7 | Kyogo Furuhashi (Japan) | Celtic | 14 |
Simon Murray (Scotland) | Ross County | ||
9 | Abdallah Sima (Senegal) | Rangers | 11 |
10 | Luke McCowan (Scotland) | Dundee | 10 |
Myziane Maolida (Comoros) | Hibernian |
Players of the Month
Month | Player | Club |
August | Callum McGregor (Scotland) | Celtic |
September | Lennon Miller (Scotland) | Motherwell |
October | Nicky Devlin (Scotland) | Aberdeen |
November | Sam Dalby (England) | Dundee United |
December | Nicky Cadden (Scotland) | Hibernian |
Predictions for Top Teams in the Scottish Premiership 2024/25 Season
A lot of SPFL predictions were made at the start of the season. We are midway through the season, and while the main contender for the title is already rather obvious, there is still room for changes, especially when it comes to the bottom two promotional places (promoted to the Europa League second qualifying round and Conference League second qualifying round correspondingly).
Celtic
Indisputable leaders of the league, Celtic hold the title for 10 out of 11 completed Scottish Premiership seasons. The only time they had to pass on the championship was in the 2020/21 season when they finished in the second place, losing the title to their long-time rivals Rangers. This season they are obviously headed for their 11th title with 19 wins, 3 draws and only one loss (0 – 3 against Rangers on 2 January).
With a strong start of the new season, Celtic are seen as a good candidate for the Champions League, especially if their head coach Brendan Rodgers brings in more new players. Rogers has always been commended for coaching and developing players, so the Glaswegians are expected to have a good run in the Champions League.
Rangers
The second half of the Old Firm derby, Rangers are strongly placed in the second position of this season’s league table. However, unlike the previous three seasons, the point gap between them and Celtics is significant at present. During the 12 years of the League’s existence, Rangers won the title only once in 2020/21.
Their current position warrants a pass to the Champions League second qualifying round. It hasn’t been an easy time for Rangers for a while, and coach Philippe Clement is still working on rebuilding the team. They may not be ready to beat the Celtics to the title this season, but they definitely stand out among the rest.
Dundee United
Having returned back to the Scottish Premiership after missing the last season, Dundee United have been quite a surprise for many experts. The most common Scotland Premiership prediction was for them to stay somewhere in the bottom half of the league table but the team proved that coach Jim Goodwin has done quite some work.
There have been a number of new recruitments over the summer, with David Babunksi and Kristijan Trapanovski standing out as some of the strongest arrivals. The squad might still be looking for their own rhythm but they are doing it at an astonishing pace.
Aberdeen
The candidate for the last European place to get in the Premiership, Conference League second qualifying round, Aberdeen has had a good start into the season. However, the team still lacks consistency, which creates an obstacle for them to climb higher in the league table. Yet, the point gap between them and Dundee United is as of now very slim, so the final qualification between these two clubs is open to change.
Departure of Bojan Miovski in August 2024 for the Spanish club Girona is perceived as a hard blow for Aberdeen. Jimmy Thelin, who joined the team in April 2024 as their new head coach, is doing his best to bring in new forces and rebuild the team.
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