Clearly, the SPFL does not know which sides will be in which half of the table at the start of the season when deciding who will have 16 home games and 17 away games prior to the split. Calculations are based on the previous campaign.
If you’ve had 17 home games, you would nominally expect to play two more after the split. If you’ve had 16 at home, you’d expect three.
Hearts, Rangers, Motherwell and Falkirk will have played 17 at home up to round 33. Celtic and Hibs will have played 16 at home.
Here’s where it gets a bit tricky.
Given the need to even out home and away derbies and the stakes in the title race, two of Hearts’ away games will be at Easter Road and Celtic Park, while Rangers will be away to Celtic and Hearts, having hosted those sides twice in the Premiership already this term.
However, Falkirk will get a third league trip to Tynecastle having visited Hearts twice during the the first 33 rounds of the campaign.
As well as visits from Hearts and Rangers, Celtic will have a home meeting with Falkirk, who much like their record against Hearts, have already been to Celtic Park twice this season.
Meanwhile, Rangers will have hosted Hibs, Falkirk and Motherwell only once each but will only have two home post-split games. Similarly, Motherwell have hosted Falkirk, Hibs and Rangers twice each but can only expect two home games against that trio.
Meanwhile, Rangers will have only hosted Falkirk once by the time the season ends. Similarly, Motherwell have hosted Falkirk, Hibs and Rangers twice each but can only expect two home games against that trio.
It’s a headache for the SPFL to resolve and will leave some sets of fans grumbling.
