As February moves into March, it's another crucial Scottish Premiership weekend and the last league game for some clubs until the middle of next month owing to the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.
Published February 27, 2026 • Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/clyx9l7g3lwo
By Thomas Duncan, Colin Moffat & Andrew Petrie BBC Sport Scotland
As February moves into March, it's another crucial Scottish Premiership weekend and the last league game for some clubs until the middle of next month owing to the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.
Here are the games and names to look out for.
Game of the weekend: Rangers v Celtic (Sun, 12:00 GMT)
Rangers and Celtic with the title in play is undoubtedly the headline act, but by the time Sunday's third league meeting of the season starts at midday, the Premiership picture will have changed.
Either Hearts will have stretched further clear or dropped points at home to Aberdeen to present the Glasgow pair with a giant opportunity. Either way the pressure will be palpable.
Rangers have been in the best form of the title contenders since Danny Rohl took charge in October, albeit while not fully convincing with their performances.
They also won the last meeting 3-1 at Celtic Park, Youssef Chermiti's double turning a deficit into a lead before Mikey Moore struck.
Home advantage could also be key. Rangers have struggled on the road - including drawing 2-2 last week with bottom side Livingston - but have won 10 in-a-row at Ibrox, where Celtic have failed to win since September 2023.
And while Celtic were working their socks off to beat Stuttgart 1-0 on Thursday, Rangers were able to rest and recover. Those facts may tilt things in Rangers' favour before a ball is kicked, but that matters little when the contest starts, plus Celtic could well call on several player who did not feature in Germany.
There has not been a winner in an Ibrox meeting of Rangers and Celtic since January 2025, with the two encounters since ending drawn. A similar outcome on Sunday may well be to Hearts' advantage so both sides will be pushing for all three points on Sunday.
Players to watch: Jamie McCart (Hearts)
Hearts were dealt another blow with the news centre-back Stuart Findlay will miss up to eight weeks with a hamstring injury.
It's not the first time Gorgie fans have heard that diagnosis this season but, unlike when Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland were ruled out, this time there is a ready-made replacement.
Step forward Jamie McCart.
The former St Johnstone man has made 12 appearances in the league this season, but only two of them have been starts, and he played left-back in both of them.
However, he has impressed when thrust into the starting XI and was part of the side that scrambled from 11th up to seventh at the end of last season.
He has big shoes to fill, though. Findlay has played more minutes than any other player as Hearts have put up their title charge. Such has been his form that talk of a Scotland recall was mooted before his injury.
Given McCart is left-footed like Findlay, it appears he also has the edge over fellow central defender Frankie Kent.
Manager in spotlight - Stephen Robinson (St Mirren)
When St Mirren snatched a late winner to beat 10-man Hearts at the beginning of the month it looked like the Paisley side had turned a corner.
Jacob Devaney made a debut full of promise and key players were nearing a return from injury as the League Cup winners ended a seven-game league sequence without a victory.
However, a laboured extra-time win over Airdrieonians in the Scottish Cup followed and since then the Buddies have lost three in a row, shipping 11 Premiership goals.
A 5-0 mauling at home to Motherwell leaves them just two points above Kilmarnock in the relegation play-off spot.
For a third visit to Livingston already this year, Stephen Robinson is likely to return to three central defenders after a failed back four experiment against in-form 'Well.
The division's bottom side may have gone a miserable 26 league games without a win but back-to-back 2-2 draws with Dundee and Rangers proves they are still fighting for their lives, so St Mirren will need to be ready to scrap.
A winless run of 10 on the road, with eight defeats, suggests such an appetite is lacking, but just one defeat in their past 15 top-flight meetings with Livi might mean they are facing the right team at the right time.
Scottish Football Podcast: SPFL weekend preview
27/02/26
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