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

Ross County host St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday after ending a run of six straight defeats in all competitions last time out.

St Johnstone are without a win in seven games and could be dragged into the relegation playoff place if they suffer defeat over the weekend.

Match preview

John Hughes's side picked up their first three points in the top flight since August with a shock 2-0 victory over high flying Hibernian in midweek.

The result at Easter Road saw the Staggies lift themselves off the foot of the table and into 11th position.

Goals have been at a premium for the Victoria Park outfit this season, with their 12 efforts meaning they have the worst attacking record in the division.

After bagging twice in the capital on Wednesday, Ross County will be hoping the floodgates have opened.

Coming up against the league's third-worst defence is a good opportunity to build on their new-found scoring ability, and Hughes will be confident his side can pull off another good result on Saturday.

St Johnstone put a stop to a four-game losing streak in the league, with a 0-0 draw at home to basement side Hamilton Academical last time out.

Influential striker Stevie May has been struggling for form of late. The 28-year-old has failed to add to his 10 goals and four assists in 2020-21 in his last three outings, contributing heavily to the Saints' woes.

Callum Davidson's men are now only two points above Ross County in the final relegation place after their recent victory.

Picking up three points in this crucial clash will play a pivotal part in the remainder of both side's campaigns.

Ross County Scottish Premiership form: LLLLLW
Ross County form (all competitions): LLLLLW

St Johnstone Scottish Premiership form: DLLLLD
St Johnstone form (all competitions): LDLLLD

Team News

Ross County duo Josh Reid and Ross Draper are available for selection once again after serving their suspensions following red cards against St Mirren.

Central midfielder Charlie Lakin is unavailable, however, with the 21-year-old continuing to suffer from a hamstring injury.

St Johnstone striker Callum Hendry was suspended for the draw with Hamilton on Wednesday but will be back in contention for Saturday's encounter.

Left-back Scott Tanser is expected to remain on the sidelines after picking up an injury against Aberdeen earlier in the month.

Ross County possible starting lineup:
Laidlaw; Watson, Morris, Donaldson, Iacovitti; Stewart, Paton, Vigurs, Kelly, Gardyne; Shaw

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Clark; McCart, Kerr, Gordon; McNamara, McCann, Craig, Davidson, Booth; Kane, May

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We say: Ross County 1-1 St Johnstone

Putting back-to-back wins together is something Ross County have not been able to do since the opening two fixtures of the campaign. With so much at stake for both sides, the two could end up cancelling each other out and share a point apiece.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 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.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a St Johnstone win with a probability of 49.35%. A draw had a probability of 26.5% and a win for Ross County had a probability of 24.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a St Johnstone win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.37%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.74%) and 1-2 (9.07%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.45%), while for a Ross County win it was 1-0 (8.55%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.5% likelihood.