Kilmarnock make their return to the Scottish Premiership this weekend, and they kickstart their journey back in the top flight with a home fixture against Dundee United.
While the hosts will still be riding the momentum of their promotion last season, the visitors also had a good campaign by finishing in the top half of the table.
Match preview
Last season, the hosts were impressive from start to finish as they ended up earning a promotion by winning the Scottish Championship in emphatic style.
While this campaign is certainly going to be a much harder task for Kilmarnock, there is no doubt that they will be pushing to use the momentum to start out strong.
Derek McInnes saw his team only concede 27 goals last season, and those defensive qualities will certainly prove themselves to be useful again this season if possible.
Kilmarnock have been in action already during this campaign in the Scottish League Cup, having qualified for the knockout stage of the competition following those four games.
They were only beaten in one of those encounters, which was via a penalty shootout, and their most recent outing saw them win 4-1 against Stenhousemuir, which is the perfect start for the new campaign.
The visitors are looking to put their most recent performances behind them considering they have been beaten in their previous two club friendlies in order to prepare for this one.
Sunderland and Fleetwood Town were able to secure victories against Dundee United, which did not provide the ideal preparation for their start to the season.
This will mark Jack Ross's first full season in charge of the club after taking over partway through the previous campaign, and he will be wanting to improve upon their fourth-placed finish from last season.
One big problem Dundee United had was how many goals they conceded, leaking in 44 which provided them with a minus goal difference, which is something they need to address.
The visitors will now be aiming to kick on as they attempt to close the gap between themselves and the top three throughout this campaign, which needs a perfect start.
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Team News
The entire Kilmarnock squad will be pushing to be involved from the first game of the season here, and McIness will likely want to remain loyal to those who helped the club earn promotion.
Oli Shaw scored a brace in their most recent outing, and that is something that should secure his place in the starting lineup this Saturday to provide an attacking threat.
Ross has been rotating his squad heavily throughout the summer, and because of that, he has plenty of options in regards to what he might use in his first starting XI of the summer.
Steven Fletcher, Craig Sibbald, and Dylan Levitt are all new signings for the visitors this season, and the three of them should be in contention to play.
Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:
Walker; Alebiosu, Wright, Mayo, McInroy; Armstrong, Polworth, Power, McKenzie, Jones; Shaw
Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Eriksson; Graham, Edwards, Mulgrew; Smith, Butcher, Levitt, Harkes, McMann; Clark, Fletcher
We say: Kilmarnock 2-1 Dundee United
Dundee United had an impressive campaign last season, providing them with something that they are more than ready to kick on from, but this weekend will be a tough start.
The visitors might be the favourites, but with Kilmarnock being fresh from promotion, coupled with the fact they have their own fans behind them, this could end up being a surprise start.
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