Livingston and St Johnstone take to the pitch for the last time in 2023 when they go head to head at the Almondvale Stadium in round 20 of the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday.
With their last victory coming all the way back in October, not only do the Lions look to end their winless run but also generate considerable momentum heading into the second half of the campaign.
Match preview
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With the season just at its midway point, Livingston's top-flight status has come under serious threat as they find themselves scrambling for points at the wrong end of the table.
David Martindale's men, who have been in the Premiership since returning in the 2018-19 campaign, are currently rooted to the bottom of the table, having picked up just 11 points from 18 matches so far.
Scoring just 10 league goals — the fewest in the division this season — Livingston's lack of cutting edge in attack has been a major reason behind their underwhelming campaign and an area that must be improved upon if they hope to beat the drop.
This was highlighted in a 2-0 defeat against Celtic last Saturday, when they failed to register a shot against the Hoops, compared to the Hoops' having 22 goes at goal and hitting seven on target.
With last weekend's results, Livingston have now gone 10 consecutive games without a win, losing nine and picking up just one point from a possible 30 since claiming a 2-0 victory over 10-man Motherwell on October 7.
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St Johnstone, on the other hand, continue to struggle on their travels as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Kilmarnock when the sides squared off at Rugby Park last Saturday.
David Watson and Marley Watkins both found the back of the net inside the opening 17 minutes to put the home side in a comfortable lead before Nicky Clark pulled one back shortly after the hour mark.
Clark's second-half strike was just St Johnstone's second goal away from home, where they are the only side in the division yet to taste victory this season, picking up three draws and losing six of their nine matches.
Craig Levein's side have now lost nine of their 19 Premiership matches while claiming four wins and six draws to collect 18 points and sit ninth in the table, three points behind the championship round qualifying places.
Considering that they have played one more game than four of the other five teams in the bottom half of the table, the Saints are now under pressure to turn things around ahead of their new year schedule.
However, St Johnstone's last three visits to the Almondvale Stadium offer little optimism, having picked up one draw and lost their most recent two since scraping a 2-1 victory in February 2022.
Team News
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Tom Parkes came off with a game-ending injury in the first half of last weekend's game against Celtic and the English defender is out of contention for Tuesday's game.
In his absence, experienced defender Michael Nottingham should come into the fold, forming the back three with Luiyi de Lucas and former Charlton Athletic man Ayo Obileye.
As for St Johnstone, Levein will be unable to call upon the midfield duo of Sam McClelland and Alistair Crawford, who have been sidelined through ankle and calf injuries respectively.
Englishman Drey Wright has been ruled out since sustaining a knee injury against Aberdeen on October 8 and the former Colchester United forward will play no part in Tuesday's game.
Having missed the game against Kilmarnock last time out, 24-year-old Diallang Jaiyesimi has now served his suspension and could return to the matchday squad on Tuesday.
Livingston possible starting lineup:
Hamilton; De Lucas, Nottingham, Obileye; Brandon, Shinnie, Holt, Penrice; Nouble, Pittman, Anderson
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Mitov; McGowan, Gordon, Robinson; Franczak, Kucheryavyi, Smith, Phillips, Gallacher; Carey, Kane
We say: Livingston 1-0 St Johnstone
Livingston and St Johnstone will head into the game in search of a pick-me-up after an underwhelming first half of the season sees both sides scrambling for points in the bottom half of the table. The Lions' home advantage gives them a slight edge here and we fancy them to see off Levein's men who have struggled on their travels so far.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
