Чемпионат Шотландии

Inverness CT v Celtic

Terry Butcher has done a fantastic job getting Caley back into the Scottish Premier League at first time of asking and has quietly added a few players to his squad, including the experienced Chris Innes, and for me the best goalkeeper last season outside of the SPL in Jonny Tuffey.

However, the key player - if Inverness Caley are to survive in the SPL come May - is Adam Rooney who scored 24 goals in Caley's promotion last season.

If he can keep that goalscoring form up, added to Terry Butcher's motivational skills, it could be a good season for Inverness although they have got a real tough first game at home.

Neil Lennon's new-look Celtic have added Joe Ledley, who must be the Bosman of the SPL season, valued at £6m. However, because of cross-border rules, Celtic captured the Welshman for nothing.

Daryl Murphy is a player I tried to sign for £40,000 for Livingston when I was manager and, five years on, he signed for Celtic for £1.2m. However, my candidate for SPL top scorer is Gary Hooper. He had goals aplenty with Scunthorpe and I expect him to keep that going the SPL. Terry will have his team fired up for this one, but I think Celtic will win it.

Prediction: 0-2

Aberdeen v Hamilton Accies

Mark McGhee's Aberdeen had a poor season last term, but it was Mark's first year in charge at Pittodrie and he has brought in a few players in the close season.

Mark Howard arrived from St Mirren and Irish international Rory McArdle from Rochdale among six new signings, but his most important was Paul Hartley, who can use all his experience to help Aberdeen's youngsters to turn Pittodrie into a fortress and be difficult to beat at home.

Hamilton Accies manager Billy Reid turned down the chance to manage Swansea City in the Championship, which speaks volumes for his relationship with the board of directors.

They produce young players, showcase them, and sell them for big money - and that's the correct way to keep the club stable.

Billy has lost James McArthur to Wigan - arguably his best player - but he has added a few, including Gary McDonald - from opponents Aberdeen. Joel Thomas has arrived for his third Accies spell, but the key player is captain Alex Neil. Neil plays in midfield or in a sweeper role and is a very influential player for them, and I expect a couple of goals in this game.

Prediction: 1-1

Hearts v St Johnstone

The battle of my two former clubs and the game I will be covering for BBC Scotland's Sportsound programme on Open All Mics.

Jim Jefferies is back at Hearts again and he will play a more attacking formation. Under Csaba Laszlo last year the Edinburgh club tended to play 4-5-1, but I expect Jim to play a 4-4-2, with Kevin Kyle when he's fit and Stephen Elliot as a front two.

I think Hearts will have a good season and will be challenging for that third spot. They will be difficult to beat - especially at Tynecastle - and the key man will be Elliot, a striker who should be able to net 10-15 goals in a season.

St Johnstone were a joy to watch last season, high-scoring, but they also conceded a few on the way to comfortable SPL survival and almost made the top six.

Derek McInnes is a very impressive young manager who added a few players in the close season like Scott Dobbie and Sam Parkin, but it's the players already at the club who will be crucial to survival - Michael Duberry and key man Jody Morris.

Morris was in sparkling form last term and if he can produce the same form again, Saints could push for the top six. This is a tough opener to call, but I think it'll be a win for Hearts.

Prediction: 2-1

Rangers v Kilmarnock

It's Walter Smith's last season in charge and he won't want to go out a loser after a brilliant Rangers managerial career. What Rangers have that money can't buy is a fantastic team spirit.

He has desperately tried to add to the squad after over two years, signing James Beattie at the last minute, and has lost a lot of key men in the summer - most notably Kris Boyd - but the hardest part of football is putting the ball in the net and Boyd was the best in the business at it.

So, who can step up to the mark in the goalscoring department? I expect Kenny Miller will be competing with Gary Hooper at Celtic for the SPL's top scorer this season, but the key man again has to be Steven Davis.

Mixu Paatelainen, taking over as boss of Killie, could not have asked for a harder opener. He has added James Dayton and Ben Gordon on loan from Chelsea along with Kyle Letheren - not names I know too well, but I'm sure Mixu will be happy with his summer signings.

I think it will be another tough season for Killie and SPL survival and 11th place has to be their target - anything else is a bonus. The key man for the Rugby Park side will be Manuel Pascali, and I expect a backs-to-the-wall season for Mixu and his players.

Prediction: 3-0

St Mirren v Dundee United

New Saints boss Danny Lennon has been busy over the summer with countless signings - mainly from his old club Cowdenbeath, and these players now have to make the step up from the Second Division to the SPL. Only time will tell if they can cut it at the top.

Danny is a hard-working manager, but I fear for them this season. They have to win their home games and sneak the odd point away, so it'll be fascinating to see how they handle the mix of both new manager and new players at this level if they get off to a poor start. The key man is Paul Gallacher - I expect him to be busy this season, and he may need to recapture his international form to keep St Mirren up.

Dundee United manager Peter Houston had a brilliant six months in charge, earning a third place finish and the Scottish Cup. He also kept the majority of his squad from last year, although Andy Webster will be a big loss.

I expect United to be up competing again for third place and some silverware, added to a great tie in Europe against AEK Athens and potentially the Europa League group stages.

It's exciting times to be a Dundee United fan - they have good players in the squad, the flair of Danny Swanson and Craig Conway, the no-nonsense style of Jon Daly and Garry Kenneth, but the key men will be Morgaro Gomis and Prince Buaben, who I think are the best midfield pairing in the league - not individually but as a pair they dovetail very well together.

Prediction: 0-2

SUNDAY 15 AUGUST

Motherwell v Hibernian

Craig Brown has seen it all. In a short space of time, he has turned Motherwell into a very difficult team to beat and I expect something similar again this season. The last time these two teams met, we had, in my opinion, the best game in SPL history with a 6-6 thriller.

However, they have lost John Ruddy and Lukas Jutkiewicz, but have added keeper Darren Randolph and striker Esteban Casogolda. I expect another good season from Motherwell and they will be fighting for the top six again. The work done on their pitch will help with their passing style. The key man will be Jamie Murphy, the club's top European goalscorer. Can he add to that tally in the coming weeks in Europe?

Hibs manager John Hughes has not had his troubles to seek. His side are out of Europe before the season has started, and problems with Sol Bamba not show for training have been made public.

However, he has the most talented squad outside the Old Firm, including goalscorers from all over the park, a superb stadium and a bigger pitch, which will help them make progress on the domestic front.

Also, the addition of Michael Hart, David Stephens and Edwin De Graaf to the talents of Derek Riordan, Colin Nish and Liam Miller makes Hibs a challenger for third place and other silverware. Hibs will hope to start the season as they did last year and the key man will be Anthony Stokes, with 21 league goals last season. I expect more of the same again from the natural finisher this year.

Prediction: 2-2