Derek McInnes to start Rangers title bid at Dundee United in Premiership opener
New Rangers manager Derek McInnes’ reign will get under way with a Friday-night William Hill Premiership trip to Dundee United after the fixtures for the upcoming campaign were released by the Scottish Professional Football League.
All six top-flight matches on the opening weekend will kick off at different times, and all will be televised live by Sky Sports.
The curtain-raiser is Gers’ visit to United on Friday, July 31, in what will be McInnes’ first competitive match in charge after leaving Hearts this week to take over from Danny Rohl.
There will be two games the following day, with Falkirk hosting St Mirren at 3pm and last season’s runners-up Hearts, who will have a new manager in place following McInnes’ departure, visiting Aberdeen for a mouthwatering 5.30pm showdown at Pittodrie.
On Sunday, August 2, newly promoted St Johnstone return to top-flight action with a 2pm kick-off at home to Kilmarnock before Hibernian and Motherwell, who will both be in Conference League action the previous Thursday, meet at Easter Road at 4.30pm. That will be the first league game for whoever Well appoint as successor to Jens Berthel Askou.
Champions Celtic will not get the honour of being involved in the first match of the season this time as a clash with Commonwealth Games events in Glasgow means their opening game will instead take place on the Monday night, at home to Dundee.
McInnes’ first competitive game at Ibrox will be on matchday two, when Gers host Hibs on the same day that Martin O’Neill’s Hoops visit Kilmarnock.
The new Rangers boss will go head-to-head with O’Neill in the first Old Firm derby of the season at Celtic Park on Sunday, September 20, with the first Ibrox showdown between the two Glasgow rivals taking place on the first weekend of January.
McInnes and Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland, also moving from Hearts to Rangers this summer, are guaranteed a hostile reception when they visit Tynecastle for the first time in a midweek match in late October.
Similarly, the rematch of last season’s final-day title decider between Celtic and Hearts at Celtic Park in mid-October is sure to be loaded with charge.
The first Edinburgh derby is at Easter Road on the midweek of September 1-2, with the first Tynecastle showdown between Hearts and Hibs set for Boxing Day. The two sides face each other back at Easter Road in the final game before the split.
The first Dundee derby is at Tannadice on matchday three, on the weekend of August 22-23, while the first Dens Park showdown takes place on the first weekend of January.
Once again, there will be no winter break. The first three rounds of fixtures will conclude on the weekend of April 10-11, with the post-split schedule beginning a fortnight later. The league campaign will end on the weekend of May 15-16.