Scottish Premiership 26/27 Predictions: Our writers pick their title winners, top scorer and surprise package

After one of the most exhilarating seasons in its modern history, the top flight is all change again, with Hearts, Rangers and Motherwell all appointing new managers in recent weeks, while several clubs have strengthened their squad with an array of new faces arriving in the league this summer.

Can Hearts challenge for the title once again after taking it to the final day last year? Who will be the lead surprise package? Will Rangers roar again under Derek McInnes - or will veteran boss Martin O’Neill emerge victorious again and lead Celtic to a sixth successive title? Who will struggle, and who can be the surprise package in the months ahead?

Our football writers Mark Atkinson, Ben Banks, Alan Pattullo, Barry Anderson, Graham Falk, John Greechan and Lewis Anderson share their thoughts and predictions ahead of the new season:

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Mark Atkinson

• Title winners: I'll stick with Celtic. They're still the best-resourced club in the league and despite their obvious foibles, they know how to get it done and I think they've signed a good 'un in Camilo Duran.
• Relegation: St Mirren flirted with relegation last season and I'm not yet convinced they've improved markedly enough.
• Who will be top scorer? Let's go with Celtic's big-money signing Kasper Hogh. He's proven himself at Champions League level and can get the goals.
• Surprise package? Aberdeen should have a good season. Maybe not the biggest surprise but I fancy Kevin Nisbet to grab plenty of goals, potentially taking them to third place.

Ben Banks

• Title winners: Celtic. Recruit well, recruit poorly, recruit fast, recruit at a snail's pace, it never seems to matter come May. They'll recruit more across August and early September alongside two impressive captures in Duran and Hogh. Rivals have not made sufficient enough progress so far to suggest overthrowing the norm.
• Relegation: St Johnstone have lost quality in Josh McPake and still look to be gelling for their top flight return. Difficult Premier Sports Cup campaigns don't usually suggest high league finishes, albeit they're not the only ones. Will be tight.
• Who will be top scorer? Kevin Nisbet has hit the goal trail at Aberdeen and the Stephen Robinson attack looks to be flowing through him. 15-20 goals should see him out in front and more than capable.
• Surprise package? Dundee. Steven Pressley turned from dour to adaptable and played a good brand of football to see his team comfortably safe. A breaker of hoodoos, the signing of Owen Bevan looks shrewd, and Simon Murray's return to full fitness gives them a potent goal threat. Sixth place and a cup semi-final to see Pressley nominated for Manager of the Year. Not so 'jobby' anymore.

Alan Pattullo

• Title winners: Celtic. And they won’t leave it until the last few minutes this time although the gap between them and Rangers might be less yawning than the ten points margin last season. The Ibrox side might need a little more time to really get into their stride under Derek McInnes. Hearts, meanwhile, will be battling it out for third.
• Relegation: It’s hard to see St Johnstone continuing the trend for promoted teams hitting the heights of the top six in their first season back up. They could struggle given their obvious lack of a striker, at the time of writing at least. St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Dundee and yes, even last season’s surprise package Falkirk might also be hovering near the drop zone.
• Who will be top scorer? The videos of Kasper Hogh doing the rounds identify someone who certainly knows the way to goal, as you’d hope given he’s cost Celtic a cool £11 million.
• Surprise package? Could Hibs be the Edinburgh side to shake things up this season? Perhaps, perhaps not. But Thursday’s professional dismantling of Kosovan side Malisheva proved last week’s display in the away leg was exactly what more sensible observers suspected: just a little hiccup. If Nathan Lowe and Owen Elding get scoring…

Barry Anderson

• Title winners: I'd say Celtic will just edge it again. I think they have an experienced manager and in Kasper Hogh they have a born goalscorer who will do very well in Scotland. That could be the difference come the end of the season.
• Relegation: St Johnstone look favourites but I also think Kilmarnock and St Mirren could have a difficult few months ahead. Any one of those three could go down. Will likely come down to who scores the lowest amount of goals, and that may end up being Killie or Saints.
• Who will be top scorer? A straight fight between Lawrence Shankland and Kasper Hogh I reckon. Both are natural finishers. Shankland knows the league, which may give him an advantage, but Hogh has more European experience and is more mobile.
• Surprise package? Aberdeen under Stephen Robinson will be functional, physical and forceful. Everything his St Mirren and Motherwell teams were and a bit more. Expect them to finish in one of the European positions after turning Pittodrie into a real fortress again.

Graham Falk

• Title winners: I don’t think it’ll be a tight as it was last season, but I do fancy Rangers to really push Celtic for the title this season. That said, it’s hard to look beyond Martin O’Neill’s men for the trophy. Their recruitment has been slow but worth the wait when it’s arrived. Celtic to win it.
• Relegation: St Johnstone are going to be one of the favourites to go straight back down, but I think momentum, coupled with an attractive style of play, will see them just edge out St Mirren. It feels like the Paisley side are in a transition, and they only just survived last year. It’ll be tight, but I think the Buddies go this year.
• Who will be top scorer? Lawrence Shankland. I believe he’s a lad that copes under pressure, and leads from the front. Playing for his boyhood club, he’ll want to hit the ground running and show that he’s been worth the wait - and I back him to do it. Rangers need goals from other areas in order to overthrow Celtic, though.
• Surprise package? Can you class Aberdeen as a surprise package? I suppose you can based on their performance last season. But I’m a huge fan of Stephen Robinson, and I think he’s recruited smartly. I’ll back them to finish top four.

John Greechan

• Title winners: It could all change between now and Deadline Day, of course. But Celtic start as favourites every year for a reason - the fact that they usually win the title.Still, I wouldn't be overly surprised if Rangers stole the crown, with Derek McInnes adding a real element of grit to the Ibrox side. And you cannot discount another 'third force' emerging from the pack; there are a number of potential challengers just one or two players short of contending.
• Relegation: Motherwell. Just because Scottish football is mental. And that's the sort of thing that happens. If not them, St Johnstone may be short of the firepower needed to stay up.
• Who will be top scorer? Kasper Hogh should score a bazillion goals in the Scottish Premiership. Even if there are no guarantees, the new Celtic striker must start as favourite.
• Surprise package? Scotland's VAR officials, who will deliver a light touch approach involving themselves in decisions while catching all of the most egregious missed offences and keeping match referees right when required. Well, you can dream ...

Lewis Anderson

• Title winners: Rangers. Defensive frailties cost them dearly last season after they dragged themselves back into the title race under Danny Rohl before things turned ugly during the post-split fixtures. With Derek McInnes now at the helm after joining from Hearts, he is the sort of manager who can address many of their failings from last season. They have recruited well on paper so far this summer, but still require more defensive depth.
• Relegation: St Mirren. Survived relegation by the skin of their teeth last season and I'm not convinced their summer signings are an upgrade on the squad assembled last term. Craig McLeish will have his work cut out to avoid being in a similar position this term.
• Who will be top scorer? Camilo Duran. I have been really impressed by the Colombian striker since his arrival from Qarabag. A proven goal scorer at the highest level in the Champions League, he is sure to excite the Celtic fans. Should he maintain his encouraging pre-season form, he could be hard to catch.
• Surprise package? Kilmarnock. I fancy the Ayrshire club to sneak into the top-six and enjoy a strong cup run as well. Neil McCann and Billy Dodds have done a terrific job at Rugby Park so far and appear to have added good quality over the summer in addition to retaining some key players from last season.