Gary Hooper fancied to score first goal at Easter Road

SEEMS like only the other week the season was ending, yet here we are, before the first act of the Edinburgh Festival has taken to the stage, embarking on a new SPL campaign.

From a betting point of view, the weekend's big televised matches offer little appeal, with Rangers and Celtic likely to justify their favourites' tags against Hearts and Hibs respectively, although a couple of quid on Gary Hooper to score the first goal at Easter Road at 7-2 is suggested and maybe a larger bet on the anytime scorer market at 5-6.

Dundee United are fancied to shrug off the disappointment of their Europa League exit and start the league season on a high with victory over Kilmarnock at Tannadice. One major plus for United is their match sharpness, and they appeal at odds of 19-20 with William Hill.

The Ramsden's Cup looks a minefield, but Livingston had some impressive wins in pre-season and the 8-11 offered on them beating Airdrie is considered the banker bet of today.

The identity of the Copa America finalists - Uruguay and Paraguay - has raised a few eyebrows, with the big guns falling by the wayside in a tournament full of shocks, but Uruguay rate a good bet at evens to seal the silverware in 90 minutes.