Premiership team news, probable starting XIs and predictions: Rangers new boy to start, Celtic injury, Hearts changes

Jose Cifuentes will start for Rangers against Livingston on Saturday.

We take a look at the team news for each match and give The Scotsman’s prediction for all the encounters across the weekend:

St Mirren v Dundee, Saturday 3pm, SMiSA Stadium

Team news: St Mirren striker Mikael Mandron has returned to training after pulling out of last week’s win over Hibs with a back injury in the warm-up. Dundee will be without Antonio Portales after the defender suffered a knee injury against Motherwell. Aaron Donnelly faces about a month out with ankle ligament damage. Tyler French and Charlie Reilly are getting closer to fitness.

Probable St Mirren team: Hemming; Strain, Fraser, Taylor, Tanser; Gogic; McMenamin, O’Hara, Baccus, Kiltie; Olusanya.

Probable Dundee team: McCracken, Ashcroft, Shaughnessy, McGhee; McCowan, Cameron, Boateng, Mulligan, Beck; Robinson, Bakayoko.

Referee: Colin Steven.

The Scotsman’s Prediction: St Mirren 2-1 Dundee.

Rangers v Livingston, Saturday 3pm, Ibrox

Team news: Rangers will be without one or two players with bumps and bruises. Ridvan Yilmaz, Ben Davies and Tom Lawrence missed the Champions League win over Servette, but manager Michael Beale has confirmed Jose Cifuentes will start. Livingston have doubts over Kurtis Guthrie (knock), Scott Pittman (ribs) and Bruce Anderson (head), while new signing Samson Lawal is unavailable for selection.

Probable Rangers team: Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Barisic; Raskin, Cifuentes, Cantwell; Danilo, Dessers, Lammers.

Probable Livingston team: George; Brandon, De Lucas, Obileye, Devlin, Montano; Holt, Sangare, Shinnie; Pittman; Nouble.

Referee: Don Robertson.

The Scotsman’s Prediction: Rangers 3-0 Livingston.

Ross County v St Johnstone, Saturday 3pm, Global Energy Stadium

Team news: Defender Ryan Leak comes into the Ross County squad after joining from Salford. Ben Purrington and Jordy Hiwula are close to returning, while Ross Callachan and Ben Paton are out with long-term knee injuries. Matthew Wright has joined Elgin on loan. St Johnstone will include Crewe goalkeeper Dave Richards in their squad after making a loan signing in the wake of back-up goalkeeper Ross Sinclair’s broken arm. Callum Booth (back), Nicky Clark, Chris Kane (both ankle), Ali Crawford (calf), Cammy MacPherson (foot) and James Brown (calf) are all out, while Drey Wright (calf) is also likely to remain sidelined.

Probable Ross County team: Laidlaw; Brown, Nightingale, Baldwin, Harmon; Loturi, Randall, Sims, Dhanda; Murray, White.

Probable St Johnstone team: Mitov; Olufunwa, McClelland, Gordon, Gallacher; McGowan, Phillips; Jephcott, Smith, Carey; May.

Referee: William Collum

The Scotsman’s Prediction: Ross County 2-1 St Johnstone.

Aberdeen v Celtic, Sunday 12pm, Pittodrie

Team news: Aberdeen defender Rhys Williams (back) remains out, while fellow centre-back Angus MacDonald is about a week away from training after a knee problem. The Dons signed New Zealand defender James McGarry on Friday. Celtic have lost striker Oh Hyeon-gyu for up to six weeks with a calf problem. The champions are still without Alistair Johnson and Yuki Kobayashi (both ankle), Mikey Johnston (back) and Marco Tilio, who arrived at the club with an injury.

Probable Celtic team: Hart; Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Nawrocki, Taylor; McGregor, Turnbull, O’Riley; Abada, Furuhashi, Maeda.

Probable Aberdeen team: Roos; Devlin, Rubezic, MacKenzie; Dadia, Polvara, Clarkson, Shinnie, Hayes; Miovski, Duk.

Referee: Kevin Clancy.

The Scotsman’s Prediction: Aberdeen 1-3 Celtic.

Hearts v Kilmarnock, Sunday 3pm, Tynecastle

Team news: Recent Hearts signings Kyosuke Tagawa, Calem Nieuwenhof and Kenneth Vargas could make their debuts. Barrie McKay (ankle), Craig Gordon (broken leg) and Craig Halkett (knee) are out injured, while Alex Cochrane serves the second of a three-game league suspension. Rory McKenzie, Kyle Vassell and Liam Donnelly played in a closed-doors friendly on Tuesday and are pushing for involvement for Kilmarnock. Joe Wright returns to full training next week.

Probable Hearts team: Clark; Atkinson, Kent, Rowles, Kingsley; Haring, Nieuwenhof; Forrest, Grant, Tagawa, Shankland.

Probable Kilmarnock team: Dennis; Mayo, Deas, Findlay; Kennedy, Watson, Lyons, Magennis, Ndaba; Armstrong; Vassell.

Referee: David Dickinson.

The Scotsman’s Prediction: Hearts 1-1 Kilmarnock.

Motherwell v Hibs, Sunday 3pm, Fir Park

Team news: On-loan Arsenal striker Mika Biereth is pushing for his Motherwell debut, but Jon Obika (hamstring) and Harry Paton are still doubts. Calum Butcher (foot) is a long-term absentee. Hibs will be without Rocky Bushiri as the defender completes a domestic suspension incurred at the end of last season. Jojo Wollacott (thigh), Harry McKirdy (heart) and Chris Cadden (Achilles) are all out long term.

Probable Motherwell team: Kelly; McGinn, Mugabi, Casey; O’Donnell, Slattery, Miller, Spittal, Souare; Wilkinson, Bair.

Probable Hibs team: Marshall; Miller, Fish, Hanlon, Stevenson; Boyle, Newell, Levitt, Obita; Le Fondre, Vente.

Referee: Matthew MacDermid.

The Scotsman’s Prediction: Motherwell 3-2 Hibs.