Wednesday's full card completed the first circuit of games in Scotland's top flight, and the table already has a clear shape. Celtic are first on 28 points after 11 matches, with a goal difference of plus 19. Rangers are second on 24 points, with a goal difference of plus 10. That is the benchmark for everyone else, and it is hard to argue with the gap those two have opened.
Celtic and Rangers at the top
The early numbers are tidy for both sides. Celtic's 28 points and plus 19 goal difference put them in control of the table, while Rangers have kept the pressure on with 24 points and a plus 10 difference. For a league that often tightens quickly, those margins already look significant.
The title race is still live, but the opening 11 matches have made the Old Firm pair the standard bearer. Neither side has been flawless, yet both are producing the kind of totals that leave the rest of the division chasing their pace.
Hearts and Kilmarnock on opposite ends of the first circuit
Hearts sit third, eight points behind Celtic and four behind Rangers, and Wouter Vrancken's side have stayed in the conversation with an unbeaten league run of 26 games since April 2025. Vrancken has described that approach as "organised chaos", which fits a team trying to keep opponents unsettled while dealing with an injury-hit squad.
Kilmarnock, by contrast, are bottom on 8 points after 11 matches and have conceded 26 goals. The defensive numbers are the worrying part. A side can survive a rough spell if it is not coughing up chances and goals at that rate, but 26 against this early leaves little room to breathe. The first circuit has not sealed anyone's fate, yet it has already shown which sides are carrying the bigger problems.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
