THAT I’m tipping Celtic to win the league again will hardly come as a shock but I could well see them going on to make history by becoming the first side to win trebles in consecutive seasons.

Harder to call is the race for second and it ought to be an intriguing one between Aberdeen and Rangers. For the record, I expect the Dons to go on and finish as runners-up for the fourth season in a row, while I suspect it will be Hamilton falling into the Championship at the other end of the table.

The champions, though, will be Celtic again and probably by roughly the same 30-point margin they won it by last year. They’ll still be the same dominant force in our top division but I’d be very surprised if they were to go another season unbeaten.

Read more: Steven Thompson: Ian Cathro had to go as Hearts had no identity - but Craig Levein at fault, too

Last year was a one-off. At some point they’ll suffer from a dodgy penalty decision or a team performance that’s not up to scratch and find themselves losing a game. That’s to be expected.

But Brendan Rodgers isn’t the sort of manager to let standards drop. The expectation on his players will be the same as last year and I wouldn’t bet against them adding another treble. They are once again the team that everybody has to try to stop.

I think Aberdeen will again be the ones to push them hardest. Towards the end of the season there was a feeling they were losing all their top players – Niall McGinn, Jonny Hayes, Ryan Jack etc – but with Derek McInnes choosing to stay rather than going to Sunderland it seems to have given them a real lift again.

And his recruitment has been excellent, bringing in players as good as, or perhaps better, than the ones that have gone out. So they start the season possibly even stronger than last year and second should be theirs again.

Rangers will improve on last year although it would be difficult for them not to. The jury is still out on Pedro Caixinha. He’s signed some decent players including Bruno Alves, Graham Dorrans and Jack, and there’s a strong spine now. I think they are still a striker short and in the areas of pitch I thought they would strengthen – wide and up front – he’s brought players that I’m not sure are the answer. So we’ll need to see how Rangers start the season before I can make a proper assessment on them.

Read more: Steven Thompson: Ian Cathro had to go as Hearts had no identity - but Craig Levein at fault, too

Going out of Europe was a shocker. I know people have said they’ve had a couple of good results in pre-season since then but these games count for nothing when the action gets underway for real.

I think Hibs could well take fourth in their first season back. Neil Lennon did what others couldn’t do by getting them promoted and fairly convincingly come the end. Since then they’ve lost star striker Jason Cummings, although it should be remembered that he was untested at this level. All his goals came in the Championship. Simon Murray has started well since moving to Hibs, he’s got great energy, makes good runs and scores goals. I think he could be an asset. Efe Ambrose is a good signing. People talk about his high-profile mistakes but having played against him a few times I can say he’s a good defender. Danny Swanson will be a massive signing if he can continue his form from last year, Steven Whittaker is another experienced player, and Anthony Stokes will be a big signing, too. Defensively they are strong as well so I expect them to be comfortably a top six side.

I’ve covered Hearts elsewhere and I think they and St Johnstone will make up the top six come the split. Saints are remarkably consistent year after year and getting Michael O’Halloran back should help off-set Swanson’s departure. I tipped Hamilton to go down last year and will do so again this season. They’ve only signed a couple of players after squeezing through the play-offs last year. I feel a bit sorry for Martin Canning as he’s working with the smallest budget in the league and this might be the season they go down.

Read more: Steven Thompson: Ian Cathro had to go as Hearts had no identity - but Craig Levein at fault, too

I expect Motherwell to also struggle, especially if Louis Moult moves on, having already lost Scott McDonald. Kilmarnock, in contrast, should do okay. I like the look of their signings. Lee Irwin impressed me at Motherwell and should add goals to the team, while Kirk Broadfoot and Gordon Greer should shore things up at the back.

Ross County will be hoping Billy Mckay can fill the void left by Liam Boyce’s exit although it will be a big ask to score that amount of goals. Partick Thistle will be looking to reach the heights of the top six again but it will be difficult. Blair Spittal is a good signing and Niall Keown returning is also a positive. Neil McCann’s decision to leave Sky to take up with Dundee on a permanent basis will be an interesting one to follow, as will how Scott Allan gets on at Dens. It ought to be another cracking season and I’m looking forward to it getting underway.

Listen to the Herald Sport podcast: For our Premiership season preview, we ask if anyone can stop Celtic, will Hearts continue to be mince, and are Hamilton Acces finally going to get relegated?

Download this episode (right click and save) or alternatively listen on Podbean or iTunes.