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Preview: Dundee vs. St Mirren - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash between Dundee and St Mirren, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Dundee will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to three matches at the weekend, with the Dark Blues attempting to put further pressure on the teams outside of the relegation zone.

One of those just so happens to be their opponents on Saturday, but St Mirren could extend the gap from the relegation zone to double digits if they secure a victory.


Match preview

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin pictured on May 9, 2021© Reuters

Dundee picked up a point in their most recent outing, which was a crucial game against the other team in the relegation zone as they battled out a goalless draw against St Johnstone.

The result stopped them from dropping to the foot of the table, but the club needed more than that, with the gap between them and Ross County currently being four points.

That means a victory at the weekend will not be enough to get the Dark Blues out of the bottom two, but placing pressure on those above them is something that the squad shall be keen to do.

However, Dundee have not won a match in the league since December 1 when they defeated St Johnstone 1-0, with the squad having lost seven matches in a row within the SPL before the recent draw.

Time is running out for James McPake's men, and a consistent run of form is something that they are in a real need of right now, which they will be wanting to kickstart this weekend.

St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin pictured on August 9, 2020© Reuters

However, St Mirren were victorious in midweek, which continues their impressive run, with the squad having only lost once in the league across their previous five matches.

The Buddies defeated Aberdeen with Connor Ronan scoring the only goal of the game, which extended their unbeaten record within 2022, as the club have now won three matches in a row.

Jim Goodwin's squad have been defensively strong, keeping consecutive clean sheets as they head into this match, and that is something that the group would no doubt like to continue.

Despite the fact that St Mirren sit higher in the league table, they have actually been unable to defeat Dundee in their previous two attempts this season.

They met on the opening day of the campaign and battled out a 2-2 draw, with the Dark Blues coming from behind twice, while their second meeting saw Max Anderson score the only goal of the game, with the Buddies now looking to set that right on Saturday.

Dundee Scottish Premiership form:
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • D

Dundee form (all competitions):
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • D

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form:
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W

St Mirren form (all competitions):
  • D
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W



Team News

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin pictured in August 2020© Reuters

Leigh Griffiths was brought into the starting lineup for Dundee, and he could be set to retain that spot, while the experience of Charlie Adam might be called upon from the first whistle this time around.

Nial McGinn made his debut from the bench during their last outing, and he could end up pushing to be featured earlier, while new signing Jay Chapman is still awaiting his first appearance for the club.

After another clean sheet, the back four for St Mirren is expected to remain the same as before in order to keep the continuity going as they aim for another impressive performance.

Alan Power and Jamie McGrath will likely retain their places in the squad, but Alex Greive will not be available after he was called up to the New Zealand international team.

Dundee possible starting lineup:
Legzdins; Elliot, Fontaine, Sweeney, Kerr; Byrne, Adam; McMullan, McGowan, McCowan; Griffiths

St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Fraser, Shaughnessy, Dunne, Tanser; Ronan, Power; Henderson, Kiltie, McGratch; Brophy


SM words green background

We say: Dundee 1-2 St Mirren

This is a crucial match within the bottom half of the table, and there is a real need for Dundee to pick up some points if they want to escape the relegation zone.

However, St Mirren have been a stronger squad throughout the season, and a victory would provide some real distance for them with the drop zone, which they should be able to secure this time out.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 2.5:data


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Written by
Matthew Wilkinson

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Game History

How you voted: Dundee vs St Mirren

Dundee
61.9%
Draw
17.9%
St Mirren
20.2%
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1614204444044
2RangersRangers1611232891935
3Aberdeen17104331211034
4Motherwell178272327-426
5Dundee UnitedDundee Utd176742519625
6St Mirren187382429-524
7Dundee175482730-319
8Hibernian184682430-618
9Kilmarnock184681935-1618
10Hearts1844102027-716
11Ross County183691435-2115
12St Johnstone1842122134-1314


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