Why promoted Falkirk's superb season has created problem for league
There would also be a discrepancy with Rangers' fixtures. The Ibrox side would have hosted Hibs, Falkirk and Motherwell only once each, but the Ibrox side will only have two home games post-split and face a potential third trip to one of that trio of teams. The most diplomatic solution may be to give Falkirk an additional home game, to make 20 in total, have them host Hibs, Motherwell and Rangers for a third time and visit Celtic Park and Hearts a third time.
That way, the current top four would end up playing each other home and away twice in the league. Falkirk, meanwhile, will have been compensated for losing home gates against Celtic and Hearts by having Rangers and Hibs with similarly large travelling support and that extra home game against Motherwell. However, if Falkirk were to be in contention for a European place, giving them an extra home game may be perceived as an unfair advantage.
Celtic and the Bairns also maintain an interest in the Scottish Cup, with the reward for the winner a Europa League qualifying place and a potential impact on the league. Should Celtic finish in the Premiership's top two to qualify for the Champions League qualifiers and win the Scottish Cup, it's likely the Europa League place would go to the team finishing third in the Premiership and that one of the Conference League qualifying places on offer to third and fourth in the league would go to the team that finishes fifth. Should Celtic or Falkirk win the Scottish Cup and also finish either third or fourth in the Premiership, the Scottish Cup winners would enter the Europa League qualifiers and one of those Conference League qualifying places would go to the team that finishes fifth.
Hence, it is possible Falkirk could finish fifth and qualify for Europe with the benefit of having had an extra home game while the team in sixth would have had an even number of home and away games. Watch highlights as Falkirk beat Dundee Utd to reach Scottish Cup semis Aberdeen, Dundee, Dundee United, Kilmarnock, Livingston and St Mirren will make up the bottom six. Aberdeen, Dundee, Livingston and St Mirren will have played 16 home league games and 17 away come the split.
United and Killie will have the opposite. Two of the three Dundee derbies this season have been at Dens Park, so in all likelihood a season's final meeting of the Tayside teams would be at Tannadice. Assuming this, and Dundee's other away game being at Livingston (having hosted them twice), home games against Aberdeen, Killie and St Mirren would even things up.