Dundee United v Kilmarnock

Dundee United have to end a 17-game run without a victory over Kilmarnock if they are to emerge with three points.

That victory came at Rugby Park and United have to look back further, until January 1997, to find their last win at Tannadice against the Ayrshire outfit.

United will have to improve on their opening-day, no-scoring bore draw with Partick Thistle if they are do so.

Little suggests there is anything new and exciting happening at Tannadice, while Killie arrive having hinted that they are imbued with the kind of tenacity so often the trademark of teams built by Jim Jefferies.

Their fightback to draw with Rangers at Rugby Park will make them slight favourites for their trip to Tayside.

But they still lack the forward flair required to kill teams off and another share of the spoils appears likely.

Prediction: Draw

Dunfermline Athletic v Livingston

Both sides finished in the top six last season and appear to have improved their squads since then.

The Pars have lost the influence of veteran playmaker Ian Ferguson, Livi the mercurial talents of Celtic-bound forward David Fernandez.

But summer signings suggest both have greater strength in depth and Dunfermline will have taken heart from visiting one side of the Old Firm and leaving without being on the receiving end of their usual hammering.

They will hope to build on that 2-1 defeat at Celtic Park and improve on the 4-1 stuffing they were handed on their last visit to Livingston.

Livi again displayed the flair that has been a welcome addition to the SPL by taking a 3-0 lead over Motherwell, only to suggest a defensive fragility as they allowed the relegation favourites two consolation goals.

The visitors' new signings could take a while to gel and that should ensure that the more settled Pars line-up secure at least a point.

Prediction: Draw

Motherwell v Partick Thistle

Their opening-day scoreless draw at home to Dundee United suggests that John Lambie's Thistle will struggle for goals at this level.

But the First Division champions at least have history on their side, Motherwell failing to beat them on the Glasgow side's last three visits to Fir Park.

Thistle have been out of the top flight since their least league meeting in 1996 and the two present sides are the favourites to drop out of the SPL.

When Motherwell went 3-0 to Livingston on Saturday, a long hard season looked in prospect, but a two-goal fightback gives some hope to Terry Butcher's Steelmen.

They should take enough heart from that to give Thistle their first taste of defeat back in the SPL.

Prediction: Home win

Rangers v Dundee

New manager but the same old story: Dundee are praised for the quality of their passing football but emerge with only a draw.

Sharing the spoils at home to Hearts may herald another season of mid-table mediocrity at Dens Park, despite all the exotic signings.

Occasionally they match their fancy footwork with a surprise victory over the Old Firm and, until last term, they had gone two seasons in a row with a victory at Ibrox.

But Rangers boss Alex McLeish will be determined to ram home to his players that another lost point to follow last weekend's draw at Kilmarnock will not be acceptable.

Rangers do not yet look like champion material, but they know they cannot afford to lose any more ground to Celtic, even at this early stage, and that should ensure a result to please the Ibrox faithful.

Prediction: Home win.

Heart of Midlothian v Hibernian

Hearts have gone four derbies in a row at Tynecastle without defeat.

But there is nothing to suggest that they are re-establishing the dominance they had for many years in these encounters.

Indeed, the last three meetings on their own patch have been draws.

Yet Hibernian under Franck Sauzee then Bobby Williamson have failed to recapture the aura they had under the charismatic Alex McLeish and the loss to Celtic of Ulrik Laursen is one more blow.

They opened the season with a disappointing home defeat by Aberdeen and that hints at another difficult season at Easter Road.

Hearts had luck on their side as they escaped from Dundee with a point.

So the reverse logic of derbies suggests that Hibs will emerge victorious on Sunday's delayed encounter, but this time form might just win the day.

Prediction: Home win.