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The Scottish Premiership begins in August as 12 clubs across the country compete in a 38-match competition. Separated across two phases, most teams will play each other at least twice depending on the standings at the end of the first phase. Celtic and Rangers of Glasgow are the two clubs that have dominated the Scotland soccer scene since its very beginnings. Read on for an expert Scottish Premiership betting preview and explore tips and stats for Scotland soccer in 2024.
- Scottish Premiership
- August 3, 2024 to May 18, 2025
- 12 teams play 38 matches each across multiple phases
- CBS Sports Network and Paramount+
Scottish Premiership Betting Lines
Celtic and Rangers are the only two really in the running for Scottish silverware, according to top online bookmakers. Celtic are pegged as favorites to win the Premiership with a line of (-350), implying a 77.8% chance of taking the trophy. Meanwhile, Glasgow rivals Rangers are priced at (+275) to extend their record 55 titles. Lastly, all other contenders are (+10000) or greater.
Scottish Premiership 
Celtic -350 TBA -350 Rangers +275 TBA +275 Hearts +10000 TBA +15000 Aberdeen +10000 TBA +10000 Hibernian +25000 TBA +25000 Kilmarnock +30000 TBA +35000 Motherwell +50000 TBA +50000 St. Mirren +50000 TBA +50000 Dundee +75000 TBA +75000 Dundee United +75000 TBA +75000 Ross County +100000 TBA +100000 St. Johnstone +100000 TBA +100000
Want to better understand the 3-way moneyline (1X2) market? See our soccer betting tips and learn about soccer betting lines in 2024.
Celtic vs Rangers History and Rivalry
Winners of the 2023-24 season, Celtic are now 10-time champions of the Scottish Premiership. The top flight in Scotland, the William Hill Premiership (as it is known for sponsorship reasons) was founded in 2013. The move was a merger of the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League.
That makes Celtic winners 10 out of 11 possible years, with Rangers topping the table in 2020-21. But Scotland soccer has a history extending much further than the past decade. Celtic are winners of 54 Scottish League Championships and a record 42 Scottish Cups.
The club and its supporters maintain a fierce and storied rivalry with fellow Glasgow club Rangers. The two form a collective known as the Old Firm, now one of the world’s most famous derbies. In fact, across 441 matches across all competitions, the overall record is even. Altogether, both clubs have won 169 matches, with 103 ending in a draw.
The culture of the two clubs are deeply rooted in Christian leanings and politics with Northern Ireland. Celtic supporters are almost unanimously Catholic, and often of Irish-Scottish heritage. Rangers, meanwhile, are rooted in Protestant backgrounds, and typically come from native Scot and Ulster Scot heritage. Indeed, the rivalry was so deep that for many years Rangers would never knowingly sign a player of Catholic faith.
Furthermore, political views were polarized as well. Celtic typically voted for the Labour party, while Rangers fans supported the Conservative party.
Rangers Premiership Betting Season Preview
Rangers enter the 2024-25 season with 55 league titles, holding on to the slimmest of advantages over their city rivals. Considering the might of Celtic over the last 11 years, they have a difficult task ahead if they wish to extend that record and avoid a tie in the record books.
Over the summer, Rangers made a few acquisitions to bolster their roster. 5 players arrived at Ibrox, including goalkeeper Liam Kelly by way of Motherwell. Other additions include Brazilian fullback Jefte, Clinton Nsiala, Connor Barron, and Oscar Cortes. Mohamed Diomande also made his loan move permanent with Rangers.
Proponents of the transfers highlight the value of new faces to provide a fresh look to a side that has one just one title in recent memory. But other pundits worry such turnover is not conducive to team chemistry. Rangers manager Philippe Clement has his hands full ensuring all players find a role and can contribute consistently.
All things considered, I think Rangers are worth a stab at winning a title. They really deserved to be less than 2 points away from winning it all last year, based on expected points statistics. At (+275), I believe they can outrun a number that implies they win only 26.7% of the time, even though they have struggled recently.
Dark Horses Who Could Disrupt Scotland Soccer
All in all, it can be argued that Scotland soccer can be dispersed into 3 separate tiers. Celtic and Rangers represent the top tier, winning a vast majority of trophies and representing the country in European competition often. Their dominance is unmatched, and it is highly unlikely any other team will match them in a given season. That leaves a second tier of clubs to clean up the scraps.
Hearts, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Aberdeen, and St. Mirren all fall into that boat. Hearts and Kilmarnock had impressive campaigns in 2023-24, finishing 3rd and 4th in the table, respectively. Therefore, given the setup of the season, the bottom 6 clubs fight to avoid relegation in the last few matches of the year. Aberdeen found themselves in that lower pack, and were forced to play the bottomfeeders of the Scottish Premiership.
That ended up in a discrepancy of points totals, where Aberdeen actually finished 7th on the table despite accruing more overall points than St. Mirren and Dundee, who finished 5th and 6th, respectively. This shows that the current format creates a battle for the top 6. Considering Celtic and Rangers are virtual locks, the 5-team second tier must fight for the final 4 spots.
The final tier of clubs, in my opinion, would be Dundee, Ross County, Dundee United, and St. Johnstone. Livingston were relegated last season after accruing just 25 points, giving Dundee United their spot in the top flight. However, according to my data-driven model, it is St. Johnstone who truly deserved to be relegated. If you have a book that has premiership betting futures for “to be relegated,” a on St. Johnstone could be valuable.
Odds are accurate at time of writing but subject to change.
Top Sportsbooks for Scotland Soccer
Explore some of the best sportsbooks for online betting below. Each website is reviewed by My Top Sportsbooks for user experience, customer service, new member promos, and more.
