St Johnstone will be aiming to take another step towards Scottish Premiership safety when they host Motherwell at McDiarmid Park on Saturday afternoon in Perth.

The Saints started their post-split fixtures off with a 1-0 win over Dundee United, while Motherwell were convincing winners over Kilmarnock at Fir Park.

Match preview

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Steven MacLean earned his maiden victory as St Johnstone boss last weekend with a 1-0 success against Dundee United at McDiarmid Park - the club's first maximum since the reverse fixture at Tannadice in February.

Centre-back Liam Gordon bagged his first of the campaign after taking advantage of United's inability to clear the ball following a long throw, with that effort being the deciding factor of the contest.

That win has allowed the Saints to distance themselves from the three-horse race for survival at the foot of the Premiership table, with MacLean's men now six points clear of second-bottom Kilmarnock with just four matches left to play.

Despite success at home last weekend, St Johnstone have actually fared better away from McDiarmid Park this term, with 20 of their 36 league points coming on their travels across Scotland.

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Motherwell took another step towards catching seventh-placed Livingston after a 2-0 win against Kilmarnock at Fir Park, with the match being decided by early and late strikes.

Blair Spittal started the scoring for the hosts after four minutes and in-form striker Kevin van Veen made sure of the points with his 21st goal of the Premiership season.

The Steelmen are eighth overall in the division - just two points behind Livingston, and with David Martindale's side appearing to be going off the boil, Stuart Kettlewell's men have a real chance of topping the Relegation Group.

Having lost just once in their last five league matches, Motherwell will be confident of recording back-to-back wins by seeing off a St Johnstone side who have not been in great long-term form.

Team News

St Johnstone will be without striker Nicky Clark for the remainder of the season, with the 31-year-old picking up an ankle injury back in March.

Chris Kane and Murray Davidson are also unlikely to feature for Killie in the final four matches - the pair have been suffering with knee and ankle issues respectively.

Motherwell will travel to Perth without Jake Carroll on Saturday, with the defender out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury sustained all the way back in August.

Joseph Efford is in a race to be ready before the end of the campaign - the American picked up a thigh injury in October and has not featured for the Steelmen since.

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Matthews; Brown, Gordon, Considine, Montgomery; Phillips, Wright, MacPherson, Hallberg, Carey; May

Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; McGinn, Casey, Butcher; Johnston, Goss, Slattery, Furlong; Mandron, Van Veen

We say: St Johnstone 1-1 Motherwell

St Johnstone gave their survival bid a real boost with that win over Dundee United last time out, but the visit of Motherwell and Van Veen will be a sterner test.

The Steelmen are chasing seventh place in the Premiership and should be able to earn something out of their trip to Perth on Saturday afternoon.


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