Article Update 21:25 18/05/2026 with additional Rangers stat

Manchester United secured a third place finish in the English Premier League at the weekend, and will return to the Champions League next season. They went in at the break 1-0 up thanks to a Luke Shaw goal, and despite Forest equalising soon after the restart, United secured the win through goals from Cunha and Mbeumo.

You may be asking why you are reading about this on a website that prides itself in detailed alternative coverage and analysis of the Scottish game.

It’s because of a very specific stat.

After the match, Opta Stats stated that this win extended a specific Manchester United streak to 400 matches. That’s 400 matches in which Man United have been leading at half time - yet have avoided defeat at full time, with 365 wins and 35 draws.

This run stretches back to August 1984. 42 years. This is genuinely incredible - in Scotland, we have numerous team where such run doesn’t stretch back 42 days!

So after reading this stat, I naturally had to find out exactly how long the same run would be for each of the 42 SPFL sides, and what’s the longest such current run in Scotland.

So here you go. The “Manchester United table” for all four divisions.

Premiership

Normally, you’d expect Celtic to lead a metric like this. They rarely lose at home, and if they do - they normally wouldn’t have been leading at half time.

Not this time.

Rangers’ 3-1 victory at Celtic Park in January came after Wilfried Nancy’s side went in 1-0 at the break. So for Celtic it’s now only a run of only five matches where they have been leading at home at half time and not lost the match. That isn’t even enough to be in the top six in the Premiership’s version of the ‘Manchester United table’

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Celtic Football Club are the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership champions, ending Hearts’ bid to end a 41-year run of Rangers and Celtic dominance at the top of Scottish football. It’s the Celts’ 56th title, as they move clear as the outright most successful club in Scottish top-tier history.

Exactly what this means for both Celtic and Hearts in Europe this summer can be found in the humongous “UEFA Qualifiers” article, which has the answer to every question you can think of.

For today, though, here are 56 stats from this remarkable season in which Celtic recorded their 56th top flight triumph, followed by a brief financial comparison of three key metrics at Celtic, Hearts and Rangers.

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SEASON STATS

1. Celtic have won the Scottish league title for the 56th time, moving one clear of Rangers on 55.

2. Celtic have won five consecutive league titles, their fourth run of at least five-in-a-row after 1904-05 to 1909-10, 1965-66 to 1973-74 and 2011-12 to 2019-20.

   

3. The Old Firm title streak has reached 41 consecutive seasons, from Celtic in 1985-86 through Celtic in 2025-26, since Aberdeen’s last title in 1984-85.

4. Celtic had not been top of the table for 232 days (26th September-16th May), the longest ever wait for a Scottish champion to reach 1st place. This beats the previous record from 1985/86, when Celtic went 204 days before overtaking Hearts on the final day.

5. Hearts had been on top of the Premiership table since 27 September 2025, except for one day in April. Rangers briefly led on goal difference on 4th April 2026, but Hearts returned to the top the following day and haven’t moved since.

6. Celtic spent just 33 days top of the league this season, the fewest by any Scottish top-flight champion since Celtic in 1985/86.

7. Daizen Maeda becomes only the fourth player

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SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster: “Saturday’s match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian promises to be a memorable occasion and one for the history books. It’s been a title race like no other in our top-flight since the SPFL was formed in 2013, and one of the most dramatic in decades.

We’re expecting a truly compelling encounter for supporters both inside the stadium, and watching live on Sky Sports, and wish both clubs the very best of luck for this crucial match.”

Scottish football has reached a final-day showdown guaranteed to produce an outcome not seen in 40 years. There is the well-known 41-year wait for anyone other than Celtic or Rangers to win the title, stretching back to Aberdeen’s 1984/85 championship under Sir Alex Ferguson. But it has also been 40 years since Celtic last started the final day in second place and still came through to win the title.

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It will be only the third time the Scottish top-flight title has been decided on the final day by a match between two teams that could win the league, and just the sixth such occasion across all tiers of Scottish football.

The last time it happened in the top flight, Mark Hateley scored twice for Rangers at Ibrox to beat an Aberdeen side who would have taken the title with a draw. It was Aberdeen’s only defeat in their last 13 matches, while Rangers had lost 3-0 at Motherwell the week before, having also lost away to both Aberdeen and Celtic in their final 10 matches.

Season 2025/26 has undoubtedly been the most gripping top-flight title race for at least 15 years, and arguably the best overall season in that time. Hearts and Celtic have proved themselves the two best teams in the country, and they will now meet on the final day with the title on the line. It will be the 12th time in Scottish football history that the clubs have faced each other on the final day of the season and, unsurprisingly, Celtic hold the upper hand 7 wins to 2.

Hearts fans will be hoping their side can end the niche run of not beating Celtic on the final day since 1975/76, while the 57,000+ Celtic fans in the stadium will fancy their chances of roaring their team to yet another league title. But how did we get here?

This article discusses last night’s penalty before giving the stats regarding last minute winners, Martin O’Neill, Daizen Maeda and the post-split results records on offer to both Celtic and Rangers on Saturday. If you’re not yet a member here, please consider taking out a paid subscription and supporting my work, to receive full access to all articles.

Last Night’s Penalty

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Falkirk occupy 6th position, five points behind Hibs. In order to move up to 5th and take the final European place - that’s only available if Celtic win the Scottish Cup - Falkirk would have to beat Hearts and Rangers in their final two games. They’d then also need the Hibees to fail to win both of their final two fixtures. Unlikely, so it’s almost a dead rubber for the Bairns.

Furthermore, the Jambos will be up against a Falkirk side missing several key players including Scott Bain, Leon McCann, Filip Lissah, Lewis Neilson and Barney Stewart. With Hearts looking to complete their first season unbeaten at home in the top-flight since 1985/86, the game in Gorgie should be a formality. If Hearts score first, it could be a matter of “how many” - and we’ll get to the minutia detail of what each additional goal could mean come Saturday.

It does seem unlikely then that former Hearts coach John McGlynn, who spent more than a decade at Tynecastle, will be able to mastermind the downfall of Hearts tonight in front of an expectant crowd. But even if he does, it wouldn’t be curtains for Hearts yet, as Celtic can’t seal the title for themselves tonight. At worst for Hearts, it’s guaranteed to still be an achievable dream on the final day. I’ll go through all of the permutations, but first a discussion on whether this is ‘now or never’ for the boys in maroon.

Now or Never?

For many of those in the country that don’t follow a team in green and white, Hearts winning the league would be a refreshing change from the norm most have known all their lives. Celtic fans will be hoping that it’s business as usual of course, and that a squad full of players that win every year will be able to get it over the line, again. While for Hibs fans, a maroon trophy parade through Edinburgh would be a miserable way for their 150th anniversary season to end.

From my point of view, I believe a Hearts title win this week would great for Scottish football, but I think it’s more important that this type of season becomes the norm, with title races going down to the final week every year. The television deals with Sky, Premier and BBC all run until 2029 and so renegotiation discussions will probably start some time next year. If we consistently have genuine title challenges from three teams, forcing Sky into broadcasting more matches than ever before, this can only put the SPFL in a stronger negotiating position.

In March I spoke about how I didn’t believe this was ‘now or never for Hearts to win the league’, but instead it was probably ‘now or never for Hearts to win the league with fewer than 80 points’, given how poor both Celtic and Rangers had been this season.

It has been the worst season in decades - under numerous metrics - for both halves of Glasgow. It is a reasonable assumption that one, if not both, will improve next season and return to regularly reaching points tallies of 85+. However, the reason I don’t believe it’s now or never for Hearts is the recruitment process they will have in place thanks to their exclusive partnership with Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics. I wrote back in May last year why I thought Bloom’s impending investment could genuinely see Hearts challenging for the title, given his track record of disrupting clubs with much greater budgets elsewhere.

If Hearts are on the same trajectory that Brighton or Union St. Gilloise were under Bloom, then there will be improvements at Tynecastle next year, too. And then the year after that. This can only be a positive thing for the Scottish game, and if we continue to see improvements at the likes of Motherwell, Hibs and Aberdeen over the coming years then it will be more than I suspect Sky Sports may not be the only broadcaster looking for a seat at the negotiating table.

Forgive me for one last act of self-acclamation, in an effort to demonstrate to new subscribers that I sometimes offer predictions of value - I point you to some basic stats I shared in October which indicated Hearts were in with a real chance of challenging for the title this season.

Even before that, I was on the Celtic Exchange Podcast with host Tino in August, and predicted that Hearts would finish second, with a coin toss needed to decide which of the Old Firm would take the title. Smarter men than me, namely Brighton fan and football finance expert Kieran Maguire and ’s have both spoken incredibly highly of Tony Bloom and the transformative effects he can have at a football club. For these people, I suspect it won’t be a shock if Hearts were win the title.

Let’s look at how this can happen this week.

Permutations for the title

Obviously for both Hearts and Celtic, if they win two games then they take the trophy. However as Hearts have a 1 point advantage going into tonight, they might not need to do that, and so all scenarios demonstrate what Hearts require to win the title.

Some of the permutations in the following graphic are simple. If Motherwell beat Celtic at Fir Park for the second time this season, Hearts are Champions tonight if they defeat Falkirk. If both teams win, then Hearts ‘only’ need to avoid defeat at Celtic Park on Saturday to become Champions.

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Always click through to the website ScottishFootball.info for the most accurate version of any article. Any mistakes that are corrected after publication will only show on the website, rendering the version in your email inbox out of date.

This is the sixth edition of the weekly SPFL Stats Packs on ScottishFootball.info, and it covers the Premiership league matches, as well as the 1st legs of the playoffs for the lower leagues. A post-match Stats Pack will be out on Thursday following the conclusion of the games.

My favourite stat for each fixture will be highlighted with a blue line at the left hand side like this.

The aim is that these stats packs will constantly evolve and improve through subscriber feedback. Please leave any comments detailing what you like or dislike. Of course please also point out any errors, even if just a small typo - I can correct these easily on the website.

If you are not a paying subscriber yet, please consider taking out a 7-day free trial to continue reading, before deciding for yourself if you think £25 per year (or £3.50 per month) is value for money. If it’s not for you, then cancel at any point before the trial ends and won’t pay anything.

PREMIERSHIP

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When we could end up with as many as four clubs in the Conference League phase at the same time, there are lots of interesting permutations to consider. This article contains all the information you could possibly want for each team, including all of their potential routes through qualifiers, the prize money on offer, the potential opponents lying in wait and the key dates this summer.

The article is broken down by club, with four sections for each: entry point, route through qualifiers, potential opponents and prize money

Each club has a summary graphic, before explaining in more detail. The article concludes with a reminder of how bleak the entry points will be next summer, and what is required to ‘fix’ this.

HEARTS

ENTRY POINT

By securing a top two finish, Hearts will return to Champions League qualifiers for the first time since the 2006/07 season, when they finished second ahead of Rangers in 2005/06. Back then, Hearts defeated Široki Brijeg of Bosnia thanks to a thumping 3-0 home win at Murrayfield in front of 28,000 fans, before a 5-1 aggregate hammering at the hands of AEK Athens. Their European campaign was then ended that year at the hands of Sparta Prague in the first round of the UEFA Cup.

UEFA typically doesn’t allow Champions League branding in the stadium nor the official anthem to be played in any of the rounds prior to the final playoff round, so we are only guaranteed to see and hear this at Tynecastle if the Jambos win the league. As Champions, they would enter in the Champions League playoff round, and if they win that tie they reach the UCL phase. If they lose, they drop directly into the Europa League phase (no qualifiers needed.)

If Hearts are runners-up, then they’ll have to do as Rangers did last season and win two qualifying ties to reach the playoff round, if we’re going to see the big baw being bounced about on the centre circle at Tynecastle while the anthem blasts through the tannoy.

No Scottish team outside Rangers and Celtic has ever reached a league phase/group stage of European competition by winning three qualifying ties, and so it will be a huge ask for Hearts to reach the Champions League if they are the Scottish runners-up. However, such are the nuances of UEFA’s competitions, Hearts might still be able to enjoy their best European campaign since 1989 by only winning one tie - regardless of their Premiership finish.

HEARTS’ ROUTE THROUGH QUALIFIERS

If Hearts finish 1st, it’s simple: win one tie = Champions League phase. Lose the tie and it’s Europa League phase.

However if Hearts finish 2nd, it’s more complicated. There are four final outcomes - including total European elimination - and several routes through each of the competitions.

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Always click through to the website ScottishFootball.info for the most accurate version of any article. Any mistakes that are corrected after publication will only show on the website, rendering the version in your email inbox out of date.

This is the weekly SPFL post-match Stats Packs on ScottishFootball.info, covering all four divisions. This follows the pre-match Stats Pack which is released by the Friday before the weekend’s games.

My favourite stat for each fixture will be highlighted with a blue line at the left hand side like this.

Please leave any feedback detailing what you like or dislike and of course please also point out any errors. Even if just a small typo - I can correct these easily on the website.

If you are not a paying subscriber yet, please consider taking out a 7-day free trial to continue reading, before deciding for yourself if you think £25 per year (or £3.50 per month) is value for money. If it’s not for you, then cancel at any point before the trial ends and won’t pay anything.

PREMIERSHIP

Aberdeen 2-0 Dundee United

• The four league meetings between Aberdeen and Dundee United this season finished perfectly level, with one win each, two draws and a 3-3 aggregate score.

• Aberdeen have lost just one of their last 19 home league games against Dundee United (W10 D8), and United are now winless in 11 visits since August 2014.

Aberdeen have won three consecutive home league matches to nil for the first time since a four-game run ended in April 2023.

Dundee 3-0 Livingston

• Dundee completed an unbeaten league season against Livingston, with two wins, two draws and a 10-6 aggregate score.

• Dundee are now unbeaten in seven league meetings with Livingston (W5 D2) since a 1-0 defeat in February 2022.

Dundee’s 10 league goals against Livingston are their most against them in a single league season.

• Dundee have won back-to-back home league matches to nil for the first time since November 2023.

• Livingston have won only 1 of their 19 away league matches this season.

  • That win last time out at St. Mirren was their first in 35 away Premiership matches (25 losses & 29 draws).

• Livingston have the most goals conceded in the Premiership this season (71). and have the joint-most defeats in the Premiership this season (20), level with St. Mirren.

St. Mirren 0-3 Kilmarnock

• Kilmarnock completed an unbeaten league season against St. Mirren, with three wins, one draw and a 9-3 aggregate score.

• Kilmarnock have lost only one of their last 15 league meetings with St. Mirren (W8 D6).

Kilmarnock have won consecutive league matches 3-0 for the first time since a three-game run in October-November 2010.

• For the 34th time in their history - and only the 2nd time this century - Kilmarnock have won consecutive league matches by 3+ goals.

  • Only two of those 34 have been by a scoreline of exactly 3-0; and both were the occurrences this century - in 2026 and 2010.

• If Kilmarnock win the next match 3-0 against Dundee, they will become the eighth side in history to win three consecutive matches 3-0, repeating their own feat from 2010/11.

• St. Mirren have lost four consecutive league matches without scoring for the first time since a five-game run from March to April 2015; a season in which they were relegated.

• St Mirren have scored only 27 league goals, the fewest in the division. They’ve only failed to reach 30 goals in a full top flight season four times in their history.

Falkirk 1-3 Hibernian

• Hibernian got the better of Falkirk this season, with two wins, one draw and one defeat, and a 9-7 aggregate score.

The defeat earlier in the season was the only one Hibs have suffered in their last 14 league meetings with Falkirk (W7 D6).

• Hibernian ended a three-match league losing run; their last longer losing run in the top flight was four games in April 2023.

• Since drawing 0-0 at home to Motherwell, none of Falkirk’s home games have been drawn (5 Falkirk wins & 6 Falkirk losses)

Motherwell 1-1 Hearts

• Hearts completed an unbeaten league season against Motherwell for the first time since 2016-17, and only the fifth time this century.

• Hearts have lost only one of their last 10 league meetings with Motherwell (W5 D4), going unbeaten since a 3-1 defeat in August 2024.

• Hearts are unbeaten in seven league meetings with Motherwell, their longest ever unbeaten run against the Well.

• Hearts are unbeaten in six league matches, their longest run since a 10-game sequence from May 2025 to November 2025.

Hearts have fallen behind in each of their last 4 matches, but avoided defeat in all 4 (3W & 1D). The last time they managed this was in 2005:

• 1-1 away to Hibernian; Derek Riordan scored first

• 3-2 home to Dundee United; Barry Robson scored first

• 1-1 away to Dundee; Fabian Caballero scored first

• 2-1 away to Livingston; Derek Lilley scored first

Celtic 3-1 Rangers

• The four league Old Firm meetings ended perfectly level overall this season: one win each, two draws and a 6-6 aggregate score.

Celtic became the 24th side to win its first three post-split league matches since the split was introduced in 2000-01; it is the ninth time Celtic have done so, and the first since 2023-24.

• Rangers became the 26th side to lose its first three post-split league matches since 2000-01, and the first Rangers side ever to do it.

• Rangers are now guaranteed to finish third; it will be only their fifth third-place finish since 1989, and their first since 2017-18.

  • 2005/06: Celtic 1st, Hearts 2nd

  • 2014/15: Hearts 1st, Hibs 2nd (Championship)

  • 2016/17: Celtic 1st, Aberdeen 2nd

  • 2017/18: Celtic 1st, Aberdeen 2nd

• Rangers have lost three consecutive league matches for the 16th time in their history, and the first time since October 2000

• Rangers have conceded 2+ goals in five straight league games for the eighth time in their history, and only the second time since 1987 (the other was an eight-match run from February to April 2025 last season).

• Celtic have won five consecutive league matches; their previous longer league winning run this season was five, from 29 October to 3 December 2025, during Martin O’Neill’s first interim spell.

Always click through to the website ScottishFootball.info for the most accurate version of any article. Any mistakes that are corrected after publication will only show on the website, rendering the version in your email inbox out of date.

This is the fifth edition of the weekly SPFL Stats Packs on ScottishFootball.info, and it covers only the Premiership this week given the other three leagues have completed the regular season, and are now into the playoffs. A post-match Stats Pack will be out at the end of the weekend following the conclusion of the games.

My favourite stat for each fixture will be highlighted with a blue line at the left hand side like this.

The aim is that these stats packs will constantly evolve and improve through subscriber feedback. Please leave any comments detailing what you like or dislike. Of course please also point out any errors, even if just a small typo - I can correct these easily on the website.

If you are not a paying subscriber yet, please consider taking out a 7-day free trial to continue reading, before deciding for yourself if you think £25 per year (or £3.50 per month) is value for money. If it’s not for you, then cancel at any point before the trial ends and won’t pay anything.

PREMIERSHIP

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A few weeks ago I explained how the title race could be decided by goal-difference or even a one off play-off match at a neutral venue at the end of May.

Due to the popularity of the article, coupled with how close the title race continues to be - I will update the ‘required results’ graphics each week. If you missed the article or want more detail on how it all works, then you can read it here:

Each week, I have been providing completely made-up results for the remaining fixtures in order to force several different outcomes, and displaying them in a graphic. After Hearts beat Rangers, this now removes the possibility of a playoff match between the two; as Hearts would now have the head to head advantage. Some other results, namely Rangers winning the league by any means, are now much more unlikely - but still possible.

In this week’s edition I have removed some outcomes, but included a new scenario “Still alive on the final day”; these are the results required to ensure all three teams can still win the league on the final day.

For simplicity I will record the winning margin in each match as being by 1 goal, unless more goals are required to force a certain scenario.

If Celtic or Rangers win the league, it will be on the final day. Only Hearts may have the opportunity to win the league in matchweek 37, depending on this weekend’s results.

THE SCENARIOS

1. All teams can still win the final on the final day

2. Hearts win the title on goal difference

3. Celtic win the title on goal difference

4. Rangers win the title on goals difference

There can longer be a playoff match between Celtic and Hearts or Rangers and Hearts because Hearts will always win any head-to-head. This is because they have two wins and one draw against Celtic, and three wins and one loss against Rangers.

Reminder: the determination of league position in the SPFL is by:

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This article was written for Scottishfootball.info by Josh Duncan, an aspiring sports writer, who has his own Substack account.

Please follow him there and on X.com - where you can find more of his work.

His previous writing for the website includes a well-received tactical analysis of Falkirk F.C this season. Josh’s latest article will be the third in a series of ‘squad building’ exercises, looking specifically at Rangers.

Rangers 2025/26 campaign was ended in familiar fashion against Hearts on Monday. With a second half collapse making them the first runner to drop out of the title race.

The second half performance at Tynecastle outlined the lack of quality throughout this team and reminded everyone just how much work there is to be done this summer. At least we can look forward to the next group of players that will disappoint us.

Which is exactly what this article will do! In the third part of this series looking at Rangers summer rebuild, we take a look at the centre back position.

Josh’s previous articles in the series can be found here:
Full Backs and Goalkeepers

Centre-back is another position that has felt turbulent in recent years, John Souttar has been the main constant presence. Before that Connor Goldson was the main man for 6 years.

I want to look today at how Rangers should build out the centre back group, what is required in a centre back partnership and then some specific targets for the club.

Centre Back

The is the situation at centre back heading into the summer. Firstly, Manny Fernandez has cemented himself as a starter this season. With some links to top clubs I would be cashing in on him, but most reports believe Rangers would like to keep him if possible.

John Souttar signed an extension during the season but saw a serious decline in performance. I don’t think the extension was a great idea, but he can serve as a fine backup.

Nasser Djiga and Derek Cornelius will return to their parent clubs, I doubt Rangers will try and sign either permanently. Rangers’ own player Clinton Nsiala will be retuning, I expect he will be moved on. Belgian top flight side Westerlo signed him on loan in February, with an option to buy included in the deal.

This means that there is one backup and one starting spot available, giving us a 4 centre back group. This gives solid depth while allowing room for any youth prospects that the club wants to bring through. Although I could see another CB loan for depth as a possibility this summer as well.

Let’s start with the backup centre back position. Instead of the usual plan of profiling and then using data, for this spot I’d like to take an opportunity to explain another concept.

Every window there is clamour for couple of players within the Premiership, Josh Mulligan was the main one in the summer. I assume Elliot Watt, who I will talk about in the midfielders article, will be the big one going into this summer.

Most of these players are simply not Rangers quality, the average Scottish Premiership team just does not prepare a player for Ibrox. Most teams aren’t developing great technical quality, which is what Rangers require from their starters.

This isn’t to say that Rangers shouldn’t have Scottish players or look at the Scottish market, just that care needs to be taken. Most of the options that Rangers can take are similar to Connor Barron or Lyall Cameron; hard working players who don’t add a lot on the ball.

These types of player are completely fine to have in the squad, but Rangers shouldn’t be spending money on them. Those qualities are the bare minimum that you expect from a footballer, you can develop hard workers in your own academy.

If Rangers are going to spend money on Scottish league talent, then they have to show clear signs of being a quality footballer. The sort of player who is obviously better than than the average level of the Premiership. Think of someone like John McGinn, the talent was obvious and one of the Old Firm should have taken advantage before another club noticed.

This style of thinking brings us to our first player of the article.

Luke Graham

Luke Graham has seriously impressed for Dundee in his first full premiership season. In his age 21 season, Graham has featured in nearly every league game this season and has been one of the better defenders in the league.

This is all great but given what I explained before, what makes Luke Graham good enough for Rangers? This is where we have to look at scalability. Meaning, how do Luke Grahams’ attributes look in a team like Rangers?

Physically, Luke Graham looks ready to step up a level. He has a strong build, standing at around 6’3 and shows good understanding of how to use that strength against Premiership competition. He also has good recovery pace for someone his size, able to be aggressive and still get back to position.

You can see that in Scotland, Graham is an imposing physical presence. I think his athletic profile will allow him to handle the sort of open space defending that Rangers centre backs are faced with.

This isn’t to say he’s the finished article in this regard, he’s sometimes a bit naïve when defending players who can match his physicality. When he faced Rangers earlier in the season, there were a few moments against Thelo Aasgaard where Graham was too aggressive and easily bypassed by a player strong enough to hold him off. Here’s a clip of one of those instances below. Aasgaard easily rolls Graham and he’s forced to foul.

Defensively, I think Graham is extremely well developed for such a young player. His positional discipline and defensive awareness are strong and make him a very assured defender. These skills are important when moving to European level as the movement of forwards gets increasingly more intelligent.

The clip above outlines this awareness. The player Graham is marking looks to run in behind but he is immediately alert to the danger, adjusting his position to block the space. He then considers following his man but realises that he will get dragged out of position so he decides to hold. As St Mirren move towards the box, he angles his body and drops back, protecting against a run into the box while remaining able to close down a cutback.

These next clips show some of Grahams’ on ball play, this is the area that has the most possibility for development in my opinion. His overall passing play isn’t particularly dynamic, although he does show quality under pressure. He does fizz passes into the middle, which some of his teammates struggle with. I think being in a team that has a lot of possession will allow him to substantially develop this area.

Graham is quite a talented ball carrier for his position. He is great at escaping pressure and carrying the ball forward. This is something John Souttar is very good at and it can open up a lot of avenues going forward when the centre backs can break lines this way.

All of these elements combine to make a player I think Rangers won’t want to miss out on. If he can continue to develop then you have the sort of player who can be a major part of this team for years.

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The Starter

The centre back position is, more than any other in my opinion, a partnership. At teams like Rangers especially, where it can be you and your partner defending on your own against counter attacks all game.

These partners must compliment each other, Athletic writer Michael Cox defined the partnership of Johnny Evans and Çağlar Söyüncü at Leicester as “Cat and Dog”. Evans being the cat that waits to pounce and Söyüncü the dog eager to attack.

I prefer to call it an “aggressor” and an “anchor”, one to plug the attack at source and one to keep the ship steady. With our assumption that Emmanuel Fernandez stays at Rangers this summer, Rangers already have their aggressor.

Fernandez loves to engage opponents early and get involved in duels. He’s also the one who’s willing to step forward with the ball and play the risky pass. Now we need to find his anchor, someone to keep everything grounded.

The Profile

Our profile for this begins as you would expect, 6’2 and above with more than 1000 minutes played this season. I looked at players 21-26 as I wanted someone with solid first team experience to take on this role.

To find our anchor, I added in centre backs who were around the average in their leagues for duels taken, both ground and aerial, while maintaining above average win rates. This aims to find players who are picking their fights wisely and winning them.

Then I wanted someone who was above average in progressive passing and progressive pass accuracy. Even though the anchor is the less ball dominant of the pair, in a team like Rangers they need to be solid moving the ball.

The last profiling decision I made was to look for both right and left sided centre backs. I felt that Fernandez was much more comfortable on the right side when playing at Peterborough, with much more confidence in the passing game.

This allows the opportunity to move Fernandez to the right side of defence if we find a suitable left sided candidate. For this article I chose one centre back on each side as potential targets.

Casper Widell

Casper Widell is a 22 year old right sided centre back player for Excelsior Rotterdam in the Eredivisie. He stands at 6’4 and is an impressive physical specimen, finding very few matches in the Netherlands.

Widell is a clear leader, constantly organising the Excelsior backline and controlling the team. His communication would be a clear asset to a Rangers squad that lacks leadership, especially with the captain leaving.

The clips above outline his defensive ability, he is always patient and waits before engaging an opponent. He has won 68% of his defensive duels in the last year and averages 13 ball recoveries per game. This measured approach to defending is what makes an anchor.

His great acceleration and recovery speed allows him to get back even after making a mistake. He also positions himself in a way that allows him to closely mark players, relying on his pace to reposition to other dangers.

The clip above is a more settled defensive situation. The ball turns over, Widell is alert to the runner off the ball and his positioning contains the situation. As the play develops towards the box, Widell never loses track of his man while maintaining the body shape to defend the cross.

Widell is fantastic in the air, winning around 60% of his aerial duels. He is great in both boxes, getting good height and timing his jumps well. Adding this to being extremely tall makes him a proper goal scoring threat, especially if you add Fernandez in that mix as well. He’s also very composed when making defensive headers, aiming to find a teammate wherever possible and keep control.

Widell’s passing game is controlled and precise, sitting at around 85% pass accuracy. He is comfortable on both feet, even under pressure. He is efficient at progressing the ball from the back, rarely losing the ball while making around 8 progressive passes per game. He does sometimes go backward under pressure when there are passing options forward. This is the nature of the anchor however, stability is the key.

This map of his progressive passes shows this nature. Most of the passes are those simple balls that break the first line into midfield, getting attacks started. When he sees the opportunity, he will take on those long diagonal passes to the opposite flank.

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Giannis Michailidis

Giannis Michailidis is a 26 year old left sided centre back playing for PAOK in Greece. The Greek international was a major prospect in the early parts of this decade before an ACL injury derailed things. A few years on from this injury, I feel he’s found form again.

Before the injury, Michailidis was not the type of defender you would peg for an anchor. He was aggressive and front footed, loving to engage high up the pitch. He can still do this but in his recovery I believe he’s changed his game enough to handle being an anchor, just in a different way to Widell.

The clips above show some of his work in duels and defensive situations. You can see he will still take aggressive stances but only if there is sufficient cover, he also doesn’t put himself in positions where he would leave a gap if he lost the duel.

He waits for good timings to tackle 1 vs 1 and still has that great ability to nip in and win the ball from awkward angles. He has also become more of a “no nonsense” style of defender when in covering positions, he doesn’t take risks when sweeping up behind his partner.

This graph shows his defensive duels won in the league over the last year, white dots are normal duels and the black dots are sliding tackles. Most of them are around the corner of the box defending the open spaces, this will translate well to Rangers where a lot of his defending will be isolated. He doesn’t take these duels as much as before but maintains a high win rate, 66% this season, showing his development after injury.

When the ball reaches the right flank, you see Michailidis take up the position to cover his full back. As the play progresses across the pitch, he always stays the deeper of the two centre backs. He keeps a balanced body position, ready to break on the cross while still able to affect the striker if he makes a move.

Micahilidis is excellent in the air, especially defensively. His timing of jumps and use of his arms is really good at beating opponents under pressure. He has maintained a 59% win rate in the last year, most of those losses coming nearer the middle of the pitch. Michailidis has only lost 4 aerial duels in the box in this time, this would make him a huge defensive asset in Scotland particularly.

The passing side is where Micahilidis differentiates himself, not as strong on both feet as Widell, but his left foot is fantastic. He can make those line breaking progressions and the clips show him getting out of trouble with those long passes out wide.

He averages an incredible 13 progressive passes per 90 and 27 forward passes per 90. This is at the top end for every position in the league, not just his centre back peers. Some of this is the nature of the centre back position, as they now see more of the ball than anyone else in football, but he’s still one of the best in position.

His progressive pass map reveals all of this, forward passing, diagonals to wingers in space and passes into the centre of the pitch. He really can do it all in this regard.

Conclusion

I think the decision here comes down to the Fernandez positioning idea. Widell is pretty clearly the best prospect out of the two, is a leader and at only 22 could make the club some money down the line too.

Michailidis is the better passer and has shown he can physically handle European football, even post injury. Bringing him in would allow Fernandez to be more comfortable positionally as well.

Both players have one year left on their contract, PAOK will be able to demand more money for Michailidis than Excelsior will for Widell. Right now there are no major rumours of competition for their signature but I expect that to change as we get into the window.

After watching them both play a considerable amount, I think Widell is just too good of a player to say no to. He could anchor the Rangers defence for years or turn a major profit. Despite the lack of European experience, his physical skills are so clear that I don’t think that transition will be a struggle for him.

So at the end of this one, we have our defence fully set. Next up will be the midfield group, an area Rangers have struggled to figure out for years now.

It’s not just Hearts that are giving the big boys a bloody nose this season. Across Europe, 2025/26 is becoming a season of broken monopolies in many of the small to medium sized leagues. In fact, were Hearts to win the Premiership, it would only rank as the fourth rarest title in Europe this season, given three leagues have already produced first-time champions!

This article discusses the impact of UEFA prize money on competitiveness, the surprises in league winners this season, and the current seedings for the Champions League qualifying rounds.

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UEFA Prize Money Skews the Competitive Landscape

Several leagues around Europe - including ours - have either already been won, or are currently led, by ‘smaller’ clubs trying to end droughts that stretch back decades. Many fans will view this as refreshing, given streaks of the same team winning year after year have become a common part of the European landscape. Celtic are currently on 4-in-a-row league titles, after Rangers won one to interrupt their 9-in-a row. Other examples include Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb who both managed 11-in-a-row, while Ludogorets did 14-in-a-row until this season.

One of the contributing factors for such streaks is that the prize money on offer from UEFA has grown year after year, and is often only attainable by only one or two clubs, especially in the smaller leagues. Those clubs can end up earning sums from UEFA which far exceed the total domestic prize pot for their entire league. This has meant that in many leagues, the teams that often qualify for the European tournaments regularly have become untouchable domestically. This becomes a difficult cycle to break because the big clubs, pumped full of UEFA cash, then win their league again, qualify for Europe again, and pull further away financially from those left in their wake.

We’ve seen that cycle in Scotland, to an extent too. Of course, Celtic already start with an in-built advantage over all others given the size of the fanbase that fills the 60,000 capacity stadium. So their financial success is not built solely on UEFA revenue. However in the years in which they reached the Champions League group stage, their financial advantage surged to levels previously not seen in Scotland.

The hoops have been able to earn more from UEFA in one season than the SPFL have to share between all 42 clubs. Then, as Champions Celtic then take the largest share of the SPFL pot (~£4.5m), and so their financial gulf grows year-on-year. I have previously argued that our distribution model is not conducive to a competitive league, and have proposed a change in the model that gives less to the top two clubs, and more to the clubs further down the league. If not an overhaul in the model that changes the percentages awarded to each place, then I’d like to see a “UEFA” tax, similar to what they have in the Netherlands.

Scotland could have a system where if a team earns a certain amount through UEFA competition, then they automatically give 5% of that back to the SPFL for redistribution to the clubs. When Celtic (or whoever the Champions are) earn £40m from Champions League, that figure alone dwarves the the entire SPFL distribution pot of £35m. I don’t believe that the Champions should then also take £4.5m of that pot. Either the Champions share of the SPFL pot should be reduced, or they should give a % of UEFA earnings back to the league for re-distribution, in my opinion.

While UEFA earnings have had an effect in Scotland, UEFA’s money can skew things even further in leagues with less revenue than Scotland - especially in countries where only one team is regularly qualifying for Europe. With Rangers, we’ve at least had two teams with a financial advantage over everyone else, rather than just one.

With the financial discrepancies witnessed in leagues across Europe, it increasingly becomes a more notable achievement for any smaller team to win their domestic league. Taking the title away from the top team - especially if they have such a pronounced financial advantage - seems completely unachievable for most clubs in Europe.

But not this year, apparently.

The Real Fairytales

The biggest ‘fairytale’ from all the ‘outsiders’ this year has undoubtedly come in Sweden. Mjällby had never won a major trophy in their history, and were in the Swedish third tier only seven years ago. In fact, they were one game away from dropping to the fourth tier of Swedish football before earning back-to-back promotions. The team is made up of mostly locally born players, and play their football in a village called Hällevik, which has less than 1,000 inhabitants.

Mjällby would have been 150/1+ to win the season behind the traditional bigger Swedish clubs such as Malmö, Hammarby, Djurgården, AIK and Häcken. However, in October 2025 Mjällby became champions of Sweden for the first time in their history, winning the tile with ease - as they eventually finished 13 points clear of Hammarby. Sweden’s top club, Malmö, finished all the way down in 6th, 26 points off the pace - despite winning eight championships in the previous 15 seasons.

Not far behind the Swedish story is the season that has unfolded in Switzerland, a league which in 2023 adopted “the Scottish model”, 12-team / 38 match split format that we’ve used here for 25 years.

Thun is a small Swiss town with a population that could fit into Hampden Park with a few thousand to spare. After five years in the second tier, FC Thun, returned to the top flight last season. In their first season back they were naturally rank outsiders for the league title, but Thun have now won the Swiss Super League for the first time in their history, with games to spare. They are already 11 points clear of St Gallen with three games left, with the big boys Basel and Young Boys down in 5th in 6th. Since the “Swiss Super League” was launched in 2003, the title had only been won by Basel, Young Boys or FC Zürich and so it’s quite incredible that the newly promoted club have added their name to that list.

Surprises, but not small teams

It’s important to note that not all of these ‘upsets’ I’ve highlighted have been caused by ‘small’ teams. In Bulgaria for example, Levski Sofia have won the Bulgarian title for the first time since 2009, ending Ludogorets dominance. Levski are not a ‘small team’ in that country though, they’ve won 27 titles and are the best supported side in Bulgaria, ahead of CSKA Sofia in second. The situation for Levski over the past two decades was one of severe financial difficulties, before being swept aside by Ludogorets, a side who have a much smaller fan base hailing from the small town of Razgrad. Ludogorets have had had substantial investment in order to build the monopoly they’ve enjoyed over the last 10-15 years.

Similarly AEK Athens lead by six points in Greece with three games to go, and they are one of the country’s biggest clubs. However they’ve only won two league titles since 1994. I’ve included Champions League finalists Arsenal on the list, who are clearly not an underdog given the hundreds of millions of pounds they’ve spent on their squad in recent seasons. However the Gunners lead the EPL with three games left, but also have no title in over 20 years. Therefore I’ve considered them ‘outsiders’ purely due to the dominance of Manchester City and Liverpool, and the length of time since they last won the league.

Sabah have done something similar in Azerbaijan, and will be the ‘newest’ club to win a title this season. Founded only in 2017, they have claimed their first league title, again with games to spare, as they are 13 points clear of Qarabag with four matches left. Qarabag had won 11 of the previous 12 championships, and so this is one of the clearest breaking of a monopolies in Europe this season.

The fourth ‘most rare’ title win in Europe would be in Scotland, if Hearts can hold on to the top spot they’ve held for most of the season. Three points ahead with three games to go, means the bookies now expect Hearts to win their first title since 1959/60. As we know, Celtic have won 13 of the last 14 Scottish Championships, but it’s the fact that nobody other than Rangers or Celtic have won any of the last 40 leagues that makes the Hearts story so astounding. “It’ll never happen in my lifetime” will be an answer given in pubs up and down the country when their mate asks them if their club will ever win the Scottish Premiership. For Hearts fans, they are close to making the seemingly impossible a reality, thanks in part to the partnership with Tony Bloom, which I wrote in detail about exactly one year ago.

Elsewhere in Europe, if the leagues ended today then in Austria we would see LASK win their first league title since 1964/65 and only their second ever, ahead of Red Bull Salzburg (8 of the last 10 titles) and Sturm Graz (won the last two titles).

In Denmark, AGF are two points clear of Midtjylland with two matches left, closing in on their first league title since 1985/86. In Romania Craiova are three points clear with three games left, chasing their first league title since 1990/91. They would do so ahead of 28 time winners FCSB and CFR Cluj, the team that’s won six of the last 15.

Another summer league saw a surprise champion, with Viking winning the Eliteserien for the first time in 1991, winning their ninth overall title by a solitary point. They won the Norwegian league one point ahead of Bodø/Glimt, who had won four of the previous five titles. Since then, we’ve seen Glimt go 3-0 up in their Champions League last 16 tie against Sporting Lisbon in March, before losing the return leg 5-0 in Portugal. Lastly the title will go down to the wire in Hungary, too. Győri ETO are one point clear of Ferencvárosi with one game left, looking for their first title since 2012/13 and fifth overall. Ferencváros have 36 titles and have won seven straight, eight of the last ten, makin it another huge upset if they lose their crown.

Impact on the Scottish Champions

What this spate of upsets means for the Scottish Champions, whoever that may be, is that potentially there might be a ‘weaker’ opponent waiting in the Champions League Playoff round.

Now, the term ‘weaker’ here is only true if you are judging the clubs on a historic or financial point of view, or judging a team on their experience of European competition. For example, LASK Linz may narrowly win the Austrian league ahead of two teams - RB Salzburg and Sturm Graz - who have more money and more experience of Champions League football.

However if LASK are the Austrian Champions - they are the best team in the country over a season, and so they are by definition not the weaker team. If Hearts win the Scottish league then of course historically and financially they are still weaker than Celtic. But would they be an easier game for the others in qualifiers, compared to Celtic? Maybe not.

So the same goes for the opponents that our Champions might face. An underdog winning the league may be the stronger team in their country over the course of a season, but they may have less European experience and more chance of seeing their squad being broken up in the summer through player sales.

The Champions League Seedings

The following graphic shows where the 40+ Champions across Europe will be seeded, as all leagues currently stand. This excludes the Champions of the top 10 leagues, as they automatically qualify for the Champions League. From this list, we can see the potential opponents that lie in wait for the Scottish Champions.

The graphic shows the four qualifying rounds, from QR1 to the playoff, and in which round the Champion of each country enters. The stage each country’s champion enters cannot change (i.e. Scotland’s champion will enter in the playoff round) - only the club name may change between now and the end of the season, and thus the seeding status (i.e. Hearts would be an unseeded team whereas Celtic would be seeded).

Round entered in is based on country coefficient, while seeded status within each round is based on club coefficient.

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The Premiership title pendulum swung in the favour of Heart of Midlothian last night, as we move into the final three match weeks in the top tier. For the next three divisions, although the regular season has now finished, some of the most exciting stories of the season are still to be written.

The first leg of the playoffs to secure status in the Premiership, Championship and League One start tonight, while the League Two playoff between Edinburgh City and the Highland League winners, Brora Rangers, plays its first leg on Saturday.

This brief article will discuss each of the fixtures in turn, before looking at how teams have fared in the playoffs since their introduction in 20xx, and how the gate money is shared - as this differs between divisions.

The minimum prize money for each team in the SPFL outside the Premiership can be viewed in yesterday’s prize money article:

PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFFS

1st leg: Dunfermline Vs Arbroath (East End Park, Tuesday 19:45)
2nd leg: Arbroath Vs Dunfermline (Gayfield Park, Friday 19:30)

Both legs are live on BBC Scotland.

Arbroath finished 3rd in the Championship, one point above 4th-placed Dunfermline. Their league head-to-head was certainly exciting; Arbroath lost 5-0 at home in September, only to win the next two - 2-1 at East End Park in December and 4-2 at Gayfield in February. On Friday night the teams played out a much less eventful 0-0 draw at East End Park in the final match of the season.

Partick Thistle who finished 2nd in the Championship, await the winners in the two legged Semi-Finals (Tues 12th at the winners place & Fri 15th May at Firhill).

The two legged final will then be played against the Premiership’s 11th-placed side, which is currently St. Mirren - however they are only 1 point behind Kilmarnock. Both legs of the final are live on Sky Sports.

Two dates for the final have been published
1.) If it involves Dunfermline: Tuesday May 26th and Friday May 29th, as Dunfermline have the Scottish Cup Final Vs Celtic on Saturday 23rd.

2.) If Dunfermline don’t reach the final: Thursday 21st and Monday 25th May

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CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFFS

1st leg: Alloa Athletic Vs Airdrieonians (Recreation Park, Tuesday 19:45)
2nd leg: Airdrieonians Vs Alloa Athletic (Excelsior Stadium, Saturday 15:00)

Both legs are live on Premier Sports PPV at £9.99 per match.

The format for the lower league playoffs differ from the Premiership playoffs in that there is no Quarter-Finals, and the team second bottom in the Championship enters at the Semi-Final stage rather than the Final. Airdrieonians finished 9th in the Championship after failing to beat Morton on Friday; while Alloa were 4th in League One. There were therefore no regular-season league meetings because they were in different divisions.

1st leg: Queen of the South Vs Stenhousemuir (Palmerston, Tues 19:45)
2nd leg: Stenhousemuir Vs Queen of the South (Ochilview, Sat 15:00)

Both legs are live on Premier Sports PPV at £9.99 per match.

Stenhousemuir finished 2nd in League One, Queen of the South 3rd. Stenhousemuir were unbeaten in the four league meetings: two 1-1 draws at Palmerston, a 0-0 at Ochilview and a 2-0 home win in January.

The winners of these two ties meet in the two-legged final, with the lowest-ranked team at home in 1st leg on Wednesday 13th May at 19:45, before the return leg at the highest-ranked team on Saturday 16th May at 17:30.

Both legs of the final are live on BBC Alba.

LEAGUE ONE PLAY-OFFS

1st leg: Forfar Vs Hamilton (Station Park, Tuesday 19:45)
2nd leg: Hamilton Vs Forfar (Broadwood Stadium, Saturday 15:00)

Both legs are live on Premier Sports PPV at £9.99 per match.

The League One Play-Offs have the same format as the Championship play-offs and so the team second bottom in League One enters here. That was Hamilton, however they suffered a 21 point deduction. Without the points deduction they were the 3rd best team in the division, which is slightly harsh for the League One sides looking to gain promotion - playing one of the strongest sides in the division. Forfar finished 4th in League Two, and so again there was no league meetings this season.

1st leg: Clyde Vs The Spartans (New Douglas Park, Tuesday 19:45)
2nd leg: The Spartans Vs Clyde (Ainslie Park, Saturday 15:00)

Both legs are live on Premier Sports PPV at £9.99 per match.

The Spartans finished 2nd in League Two; Clyde finished 3rd. Spartans had the better regular season record, after winning 3-1 away and 2-1 at home. Clyde won once at home, 2-1, and there was a 1-1 draw at Spartans.

The winners will meet in the two legged final on Tuesday 12th and Friday 15th May, with both legs legs live on BBC ALBA, with kick offs at 19:45.

LEAGUE TWO PYRAMID PLAY-OFF

1st leg: Brora Rangers Vs Edinburgh City (Dudgeon Park, Sat 9th 15:00)
2nd leg: Edinburgh City Vs Brora Rangers (Meadowbank Sat 16th 15:00)

Both legs are live on Premier Sports PPV at £9.99 per match

Edinburgh City finished 10th in League Two, after a 15 point deduction. Without the points deduction they’d have finished eighth on 39 points, well clear of the playoff spot. Brora Rangers won the Highland League and received a bye to the final after Lowland League champions Linlithgow Rose were ruled ineligible on licensing grounds. There were again therefore no regular-season meetings.

GATE RECEIPTS

The SPFL rules split the money differently depending on the competition.

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Always click through to the website ScottishFootball.info for the most accurate version of any article. Any mistakes that are corrected after publication will only show on the website, rendering the version in your email inbox out of date.

This is the weekly SPFL post-match Stats Packs on ScottishFootball.info, covering all four divisions. This follows the pre-match Stats Pack which is released by the Friday before the weekend’s games.

My favourite stat for each fixture will be highlighted with a blue line at the left hand side like this.

Please leave any feedback detailing what you like or dislike and of course please also point out any errors. Even if just a small typo - I can correct these easily on the website.

If you are not a paying subscriber yet, please consider taking out a 7-day free trial to continue reading, before deciding for yourself if you think £25 per year (or £3.50 per month) is value for money. If it’s not for you, then cancel at any point before the trial ends and won’t pay anything.

PREMIERSHIP

Livingston 0-0 Aberdeen

• Aberdeen completed the league season unbeaten against Livingston, with two wins, two draws and a 9-4 aggregate score across the four meetings.

• Livingston have only ever beaten Aberdeen in three of their 19 home league meetings; a 2-0 win in April 2004 and 2-1 victories in both February and November 2022.

• Aberdeen have only won one (D3 & L1) from their last 5 league visits to Livingston.

• Livingston are on a nine match winless run against Aberdeen (L5 & 4 D) since beating them 2-1 victory in November 2022.

This was Livingston’s seventh 2-2 draw in the Premiership this season; the most in the division since Hibs in 2023-24, with eight.

• Livingston moved on to 14 league draws this season, the most in the top-flight since Dundee with 15 in 2015-16.

• Livingston have conceded the most goals in the league this season (68).

• Aberdeen are without an away league win in 12 matches (D2 & L10) since beating Dundee 3-1 on 6 December

Dundee 1-0 St Mirren

• Dundee got the the better of St. Mirren this season, with two wins, one draw and one defeat from the four league meetings and a 4-2 aggregate score.

Dundee won both of their home league meetings with St. Mirren this season, 3-1 in November and 1-0 here; they had not done that since 2005-06 (when they beat Dundee 3-2 & 4-0 at Dens).

• Dundee ended a five-match winless league run and kept their first clean sheet in 10 league matches.

• St Mirren have won only twice in the league at Dens Park since the start of the 2014/15 season, both times in 2024.

• St. Mirren have now failed to score in 17 Premiership matches this season, the highest total in the division.

St Mirren have scored only 27 league goals, the fewest in the division and on track for their lowest top-flight total in a full season since 26 in 2007/08. They’ve only failed to reach 30 goals in a full top flight season four times in their history.

Falkirk 1-0 Motherwell

• Falkirk finished unbeaten against Motherwell in this season’s league meetings, winning three and drawing one with a 6-3 aggregate score.

This is the first time Falkirk have beaten Motherwell three times in a league season

• Falkirk have 49 points, one behind their best in a post-war season which was 50 points in 2006/07.

• Falkirk’s top-six finish is their first in any post-split season, having previously never finished above seventh achieved in 2006/07 and 2007/08.

• None of Falkirk’s last ten home league matches have been drawn (W5 & L5).

Kilmarnock 3-0 Dundee United

• Kilmarnock finished unbeaten against Dundee United in this season’s league meetings, with two wins, two draws and a 7-2 aggregate score.

Kilmarnock are on an 11 match unbeaten run against Dundee United in all competitions (7 wins & 4 draws) since losing 4-0 nearly 4 years ago (November 2022).

• Dundee United have not won a league match at Rugby Park since a 4-2 victory in May 2016, They are winless in their nine league visits since (D4 & L5).

• This is the first time Kilmarnock have gone unbeaten through a top-flight league season against Dundee United since 2001-02, when they won three and drew one.

• Since Neil McCann took over, Killie have only lost one match at home (5 wins & 1 draw). Even in the loss (3-2 Vs Celtic) they were 2-0 up at half time. Before he took over they had lost 6 out of the previous 7, with 1 draw.

Hibernian 1-2 Celtic

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The result means that for the first time this season, Hearts are the only side with the title ‘in their own hands’; if they win their three remaining matches - or even win two and draw the last - then they will be confirmed as Champions.

For Rangers, the damaging defeat means they are all but out of the title race, and are now fighting to avoid third place.

This article looks at some of the tightest title races in the history of Scottish football before explaining the European entry points for each club, as it stands.

I’ve teamed up with ‘Boot & Ball’ to promote their Scotland national team playing cards.

The cards are superb, with every one featuring a Scotland reference of some description.

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THE CLOSEST TITLE RACES IN HISTORY

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Now that three of the four SPFL leagues have finished, we can finalise the estimated SPFL prize money for 30 of the 42 clubs. The playoffs to determine the final promotion and relegation places are yet to take place, but these have no direct financial prize. The outcome of the playoffs will only affect the prize money on offer next season to each of the clubs involved - depending on which division they play in!

This short article will only cover the prize money for the three completed SPFL tiers. Total prize money - including the cups, will be updated after the Scottish Cup Final.

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These premium Scotland specific playing cards will make a perfect addition to the sporrans, especially for those travelling to America in June!

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CHAMPIONSHIP

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East Kilbride have completed back-to-back promotions after clinching the League Two title on Saturday, beating Clyde 5-0 at K-Park to confirm their place in League One next season.

It is another huge step forward for the semi-pro club which was only formed in 2010. Mick Kennedy’s side were Lowland League champions last season before reaching the SPFL for the first time through the pyramid play-off. They beat Bonnyrigg Rose 3-1 on aggregate in May 2025, drawing 0-0 in the second leg after a 3-1 first-leg win.

I’ve teamed up with ‘Boot & Ball’ to promote their Scotland national team playing cards.

The cards are superb, with every one featuring a Scotland reference of some description.

Click here to order!

Across Scottish football history, The Kilby become the 15th back-to-back promotion that involves at least reaching the third tier of Scottish football. Most of these promotions (and the relegations shown later) have been achieved this century, owing to the fact the fourth tier wasn’t created in Scotland until 1994/95. Even the third tier wasn’t a regular until league reconstruction in 1975 - the year in which 8 sides were relegated from the top flight!

COMEBACK TITLE WINS

East Kilbride’s title also came with a sizeable mid-season recovery, having trailed The Spartans by eight points on 27th January, following Spartans’ 6-0 win at K-Park. E.K would win 12 of their final 15 matches (including 7-in-a-row), while Spartans only won a further six games. While a remarkable comeback, it wouldn’t make the top 10 for overall comebacks across all divisions in Scottish football history, as these graphics will now show.

The following four graphics show the top 10 greatest comebacks by league champions in the history of Scottish football. Four different graphics are used because it is hard to compare like-for-like due to games in hand and points being worth more after 1994.

The first graphic is using “same matchday method”. This is based on both teams having played same number of games, to discount when teams had big leads due to games in hand.

Secondly, the “calendar date method” - this is more accurate as it is the actual table as it looked on each date, but includes any game(s) in hand.

Lastly, both graphics then have the league tables from before 1994 are adjusted to 3 points for a win (rather than 2), to show how impressive these early years comebacks really were.

I therefore would class the calendar date method, adjusted for 3 points to a win to be the most accurate representation of the title-winning comebacks.

SAME MATCHDAY COMEBACK WINS

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Always click through to the website ScottishFootball.info for the most accurate version of any article. Any mistakes that are corrected after publication will only show on the website, rendering the version in your email inbox out of date.

This is the fourth edition of the weekly SPFL Stats Packs on ScottishFootball.info, and it covers all four divisions. A post-match Stats Pack will be out at the end of the weekend following the conclusion of the games.

My favourite stat for each fixture will be highlighted with a blue line at the left hand side like this.

The aim is that these stats packs will constantly evolve and improve through subscriber feedback. Please leave any comments detailing what you like or dislike. Of course please also point out any errors, even if just a small typo - I can correct these easily on the website.

If you are not a paying subscriber yet, please consider taking out a 7-day free trial to continue reading, before deciding for yourself if you think £25 per year (or £3.50 per month) is value for money. If it’s not for you, then cancel at any point before the trial ends and won’t pay anything.

PREMIERSHIP

Livingston vs Aberdeen (The Set Fare Arena, Friday 19:45)

All-time league record: Aberdeen wins 22, draws 11, Livingston wins 8
At Livingston: Aberdeen wins 8, draws 7, Livingston wins 3
Top scorer in this fixture this century: Bojan Miovski - 5 goals

This fixture specifically:

• Aberdeen are unbeaten in this season’s three league meetings with Livingston (W2 D1 L0), with a 7-2 aggregate score; but that includes a 6-2 win at Pittodrie in January.

Livingston have only ever beaten Aberdeen in three of their 18 home league meetings - a 2-0 win in April 2004 and 2-1 victories in both February and November 2022.

• Aberdeen have only won one (D2 & L1) from their last four league visits to Livingston’s home ground; and the 1-0 win in November 2025 was their first there since August 2021.

• Aberdeen have won 6 of the last 10 league meetings between these sides, with 3 draws and 1 defeat.

• Livingston are on an eight match winless run against Aberdeen (L5 & 3 D) since beating them 2-1 victory in November 2022.

League-wide form:

• Livingston ended their 31-match winless run last weekend with a 2-0 victory at St Mirren - the longest continuous winless run in top-tier Scottish football history (Arbroath had a 31-match streak across separate top flight campaigns years apart)

  • The win was their first in the league since the 3-1 win over Falkirk on the second matchday of the season, on 9 August 2025.

• Livingston have just 19 points after 34 matches, on track for their lowest top-flight total since 18 in 2005/06.

• Livingston have won only one of their 18 away league matches this season (D6 & L11).

• Livingston have conceded 66 goals this season; joint-most in the division alongside Kilmarnock.

• Aberdeen have 36 points after 34 matches - their lowest tally at this stage of a top-flight season since 1999/00, when they finished on 33.

• Aberdeen are without an away league win in 11 matches (D1 & L10) since beating Dundee 3-1 on 6 December

  • All four of Aberdeen’s away wins this season came at bottom six sides between mid-October and early December (St. Mirren, Killie, Livi, Dundee).

  • This is only the 4th season this century that Aberdeen failed to win an away game against a top-six side, and all four came in the last five seasons (also in 21/22, 22/23, 24/25)

• Aberdeen have failed to score in 15 league matches, behind only St Mirren with 16.

Dundee vs St Mirren (Dens Park, Saturday 15:00)

All-time league record: Dundee wins 90, draws 46, St Mirren wins 85
At Dens Park: Dundee wins 59, draws 21, St Mirren wins 29
Top scorer in this fixture this century: Simon Murray, Toyosi Olusanya, Kenny McLean and Mikael Mandron - 4 goals each

This fixture specifically:

• It’s 1 win each and a draw from the previous 3 meetings this season, with a 3-2 aggregate score for Dundee

• St Mirren have lost their last two league visits to Dens Park, after winning the previous one 3-1 on 4 May 2024.

St Mirren have won only twice in the league at Dens Park since the start of the 2014/15 season, both times in 2024.

• Dundee have won the previous two top-flight meetings at Dens Park - which is the same number of wins as the previous 10 encounters (2 Dundee Wins, 3 Draws, 5 St. Mirren wins).

League-wide form:

• St Mirren have failed to score in 16 league matches, the most in the Premiership.

St Mirren have scored only 27 league goals, the fewest in the division and on track for their lowest top-flight total in a full season since 26 in 2007/08. They’ve only failed to reach 30 goals in a full top flight season four times in their history.

• St Mirren have won just two of their 17 away league matches this season (D4 & L11) - conceding 32 goals on the road.

• Dundee are winless in five league matches (D2 & L3), their longest such run since a five-game winless run that ended in February.

• Dundee have failed to score in 15 league matches this season, behind only St. Mirren (16).

• Dundee have gone 10 league matches without a clean sheet.

Falkirk vs Motherwell (Falkirk Stadium, Saturday 15:00)

All-time league record: Motherwell wins 75, draws 37, Falkirk wins 54
At Falkirk: Falkirk wins 34, draws 21, Motherwell wins 28
Top scorer in this fixture this century: Scott McDonald - 7 goals

This fixture specifically:

• Falkirk are unbeaten against Motherwell this season with a 5-3 aggregate score (W2 & D1) including a 3-2 win at Fir Park on 4 April.

• In fact, Motherwell haven’t beaten Falkirk in the league since a 1-0 win in October 2009 (2 losses & 3 draws since)

• If Falkirk avoid defeat on Saturday, they will complete a top-flight league season unbeaten against Motherwell for the first time since 2007/08.

If Motherwell win - then also beat Hearts - would mean the Well have beaten every team in the division for only the 7th time in their history. They’d join Rangers and Hearts in achieving the feat this season.

League-wide form:

Motherwell have kept the most clean sheets in the league (17), equalling their all-time top-flight club record set in 1931/32 and matched in 1993/94.

• Motherwell have conceded only 31 goals, the second-fewest in the division behind Hearts (29), but have won only one of their last five league matches (W1 D1 L3), conceding 9

• Falkirk have 46 points - already the third highest top-flight post-war points. Their best in a post-war season is 50 points from 2006/07.

• Falkirk’s top-six finish is their first in any post-split season, having previously never finished above seventh achieved in 2006/07 and 2007/08.

• None of Falkirk’s last nine home league matches have been drawn (W4 & L5).

• Falkirk have gone 8 league matches without a clean sheet, and have also scored in each of their last 6 league matches.

Kilmarnock vs Dundee United (Rugby Park, Saturday 15:00)

All-time league record: Killie wins 58, draws 46, Dundee Utd wins 52
At Rugby Park: Kilmarnock wins 38, draws 19, Dundee United wins 22
Top scorer in this fixture this century: Kris Boyd - 13 goals

This fixture specifically:

• Kilmarnock are unbeaten in this season’s three league meetings with Dundee United (W1 & D2) with a 4-2 aggregate score.

Kilmarnock are on a ten match unbeaten run against Dundee United in all competitions (6 wins & 4 draws) since losing 4-0 nearly 4 years ago (November 2022).

• Dundee United have not won a league match at Rugby Park since a 4-2 victory in May 2016, They are winless in their eight league visits since (D4 & L4).

League-wide form:

• Nobody has conceded more than Kilmarnock’s 66 goals - already two more than their tally for the entire 2024/25 season (64). Only in 2003/04 did they concede more in the last 30 years - 74 goals.

• Kilmarnock have won only one of their 17 away league matches this season (D6 & L10), the fewest at this stage in the last 30 years.

• However since Neil McCann took over, Killie have only lost one match at home (4 wins & 1 draw). Before he took over they had lost 6 out of the previous 7, with 1 draw.

• Dundee United have 13 league draws this season, the most in the Premiership.

• Kilmarnock have lost 18 league matches, behind only Livingston (19).

Hibernian vs Celtic (Easter Road Stadium, Sunday 12:00)

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STATE OF PLAY

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