The Scottish Premiership resumes this weekend, with Dundee United and Rangers raising the curtain on the 2026/27 campaign on Friday night. A day later, Falkirk and St Mirren return to action.Will Falkirk put their home advantage to good use and triumph on matchday one, or will St Mirren get the ball rolling with an away win?Falkirk to win – 19/20 with MidniteUnder 2.5 goals – Evens with Sky BetRoss MacIver to score any time – 7/4 with ToteFalkirk vs St Mirren head to head overviewDate: Saturday 1st August.Kick-off: 3pm.Venue: Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk, Scotland.Where to watch: Sky Sports Football.Referee: Duncan Nicolson.VAR: Yes.Last meeting: 21st March 2026; Falkirk 1-2 St Mirren.Last 10 matches: Falkirk – 5 wins; St Mirren – 3 wins; Draws – 2.Favourite to win: Falkirk.Falkirk vs St Mirren predicted lineupsFalkirk expected lineup: Hogarth; McMillan, Melniks, Henderson, McCann; Krauhaus, Spencer; Parkinson, Sibbald, Ross; MacIver.St Mirren expected lineup: Chapman; Fraser, King, Gogic, Fieldson; Phillips, Carr, Ramos; Idowu, Sule, Mochrie.Falkirk vs St Mirren predictionsThe Scottish Premiership is back and both Falkirk and St Mirren are aiming to get off to winning starts this weekend, although it is impossible for them both to end matchday one on three points. Both clubs have had an eventful time of it in recent years. Falkirk were in League One as recently as May 2024. They won promotion that season and went up again the following campaign by finishing first in the Championship.Avoiding relegation was the goal last time out, but Falkirk did much more than that. A sixth-place finish was a fantastic outcome for John McGlynn’s men, who also reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup having knocked out Heart of Midlothian along the way.Their journey in the League Cup was ended by Celtic, who went on to reach the final. But the Hoops were unable to live up to their tag of favourites, as they fell to a 3-1 defeat by St Mirren at Hampden Park.That went down as one of the greatest days in St Mirren’s history. The Buddies have won trophies before, including another League Cup and three Scottish Cups. But beating the mighty Celtic at Hampden made for a special occasion for the club from Paisley.That League Cup triumph was enough to excuse a disappointing Premiership campaign, which saw St Mirren finish 11th.That forced them into the promotion/relegation play-offs, but McGlynn’s side avoided the drop courtesy of a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Partick Thistle.Now both St Mirren and Falkirk are aiming to kick on in 2026/27, as these two teams get their seasons under way in the Central Lowlands.Falkirk vs St Mirren betting tipsFalkirk face St Mirren on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Scottish Premiership season.Who wins first game?John McGlynn has done fantastic work at Falkirk, whose supporters will be worried about the reports linking him with the Scotland job.McGlynn says he is flattered by the rumours, but insists he is “totally committed” to his current employers.Another top-six finish will be tough for Falkirk, who are hoping second season syndrome does not bite. Yet home advantage potentially gives them the edge over St Mirren on matchday one. The 36-year-old Craig McLeish is still getting to grips with full-time management, and his St Mirren side are likely to come unstuck here. Back Falkirk to win at 19/20 with Midnite Tight encounter in storeThere is unlikely to be much between Falkirk and St Mirren on Saturday, with goals set to be at a premium.St Mirren were comfortably the lowest scorers in the Premiership last time out, putting the ball in the back of the net only 30 times.Falkirk fared better in that regard, but they have their four top scorers from 2025/26: Barney Stewart, Calvin Miller, Dylan Tait and Brian Graham.One goal might even be enough to win this game on the opening weekend of the new season. Tip under 2.5 goals at evens with Sky Bet Several scoring contendersFollowing those aforementioned departures over the summer, Falkirk will need to source goals from elsewhere this time around.They did good job of sharing the load around last season and will need to do the same again, although the likes of Ross MacIver, Joe Gardner and Ethan Laidlow will be expected to contribute more than most.The latter duo are new arrivals and are not expected to be involved from the first whistle on Saturday.MacIver will therefore shoulder much of the responsibility at the top of the pitch, and he is duly our pick to get on the scoresheet as Falkirk aim to win their opening game of a top-flight campaign for the first time since 2007/08. Go for Ross MacIver to score any time at 7/4 with Tote Falkirk vs St Mirren latest oddsFind the latest Falkirk vs St Mirren betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.More Scottish Premiership predictionsWe have plenty more Scottish Premiership predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.Important historical facts about Falkirk and St Mirren for bettingFalkirk’s sixth-place finish in 2025/26 made it their best campaign since 1994/95. Survival this term would mean St Mirren have been in the Scottish Premiership for 10 consecutive seasons. The last eight first halves between these two teams have been drawn.About the authorGreg LeaGreg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootballCommercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. 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