Post Split Fixtures - Hearts or Dundee United Will Visit Celtic Park For A Third Time & Rangers To See Three Trips To Tynecastle or Tannadice
Only if the table remains as is; if Hearts finish in the bottom six they could end up with only 18 home fixtures and 20 away
THE POST-SPLIT FIXTURE DILEMMA
As the table currently stands, this season will present the same top 6 fixture problem that the SPFL faced last season; someone needs to visit Celtic Park for a third time and Rangers need to play someone away from home for a third time. Last season, St. Mirren were the team chosen for fixture reversals instead of Dundee, the Buddies had to visit Celtic for a 3rd time while hosting Rangers for a 3rd time. Including this season, Rangers will have made a third trip to a top six side in four of the past five seasons (TBC 24/25, St Mirren 23/24, Hibs 22/23 and Livingston 20/21).
Since the format’s introduction in 2000/01, the SPFL (previously SPL) have aimed to balance each team’s season with 19 home and 19 away matches. However, fixture ‘reversals’ have been necessary in every single season since 2001 to achieve this balance. Even with reversals, a fair balance is not always possible - there have been more than 10 seasons where at least one club has ended up with an 18/20 fixture split. One of the reasons for this is the top six never repeats in consecutive seasons, making fixture prediction at the start of the season virtually impossible for the SPFL.
For the current top six, every team - except Hibs - have already visited Celtic Park twice. If Celtic played their second away trips against the remaining four opponents, they would therefore be left with just one post-split home match and only 18 home games and 20 away. Although an 18/20 split is allowable, and happens regularly, the SPFL guarantees a minimum of two post-split home fixtures and so, one of Rangers, Aberdeen, Dundee United, or Hearts must face Celtic away for a third time.
Conversely, Rangers are ‘due’ to play four of the five top-six teams at Ibrox - meaning one of their home fixtures will need to be reversed because a club can only play a maximum of three post split fixtures at home.
This table shows the number of home games ‘due’ to each club to give them a 19/19 fixture split, and also which opponents they are ‘due’ at home for a second time:
WHO WILL HAVE THEIR FIXTURES CHANGED?
SPFL Chief Operating Officer Calum Beattie explained the guidelines for fixture decisions: