St Mirren, aiming to recover from a two-game losing streak, will travel to McDiarmid Park to face St Johnstone on Saturday afternoon for matchday 17 of the Scottish Premiership season.
The hosts are ninth in the table with 14 points from their opening 16 games, while the visitors are seventh in the standings with 18 points after their first 16 fixtures.
Match preview
© Imago
Since placing fifth in the league in 2020-21, St Johnstone have found themselves in a consistent battle against relegation in the following three seasons.
They placed 11th in 2021-22, beating Caley Thistle in the relegation playoff, climbed to ninth in 2022-23 and finished 10th last year, narrowly above the relegation playoff place on goal difference after finishing level on 35 points with Ross County.
St Johnstone once again appear to be fighting to avoid the drop this campaign, with the Saints sitting ninth in the table with 14 points from 16 outings, leaving them just two points above bottom-placed Hibernian nearing the midway point of the season.
Simo Valakari has overseen a slight upturn in form since replacing Craig Levein, who was sacked after losing four and winning one of their first five league games, with the Finnish manager securing three wins and one draw from his nine league fixtures.
Aiming to build upon a confidence-boosting 1-1 draw with second-placed Aberdeen last time out, Valakari will be hoping his side can secure three points and widen the gap to the relegation zone here.
St Mirren will be the favourites heading into this match, though, with the visitors sitting seventh in the table after 16 matches with 18 points, four points more than their opponents.
After a positive opening to the campaign, avoiding defeat in their first four across all competitions, St Mirren endured a dismal run of just one win in 11 matches, suffering eight losses and two draws in that time.
However, they have bounced back in recent weeks, with Stephen Robinson's men managing three wins, one draw and two defeats in their last six fixtures, though they have lost back-to-back matches heading into this one.
Robinson will be aiming to end that losing streak in this match and return to their improved form, leaving the manager hopeful that his side can replicate the 3-1 win from the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign here.
Team News
![Stephen Robinson of St Mirren during the UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round Second Leg match at the SMISA Stadium, Paisley, on August 1, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/31/stephen-robinson.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Stephen Robinson of St Mirren during the UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round Second Leg match at the SMISA Stadium, Paisley, on August 1, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]")
© Imago
St Johnstone will be without Andre Raymond (foot), Cameron MacPherson (hip), Uche Ikpeazu and Sam McClelland (Achilles tendon) for this match due to ongoing injury issues.
On the back of an encouraging 1-1 draw with second-placed Aberdeen, Valakari could decide to name a similar side in this one, with Mackenzie Kirk continuing in attack alongside Nicky Clark and Benjamin Mbunga-Kimpioka.
St Mirren will be without Charles Dunne due to injury and Alexander Gogic, who is suspended after being sent off in the 93rd minute of their defeat to Motherwell.
They will, however, be boosted by the return of Alex Iacovitti, who returned to the bench against Motherwell, his first appearance in the matchday squad since August.
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Rae; Neilson, Sanders, Cameron, Wright; Smith, Sprangler, Holt; Kirk, Clark, Mbunga-Kimpioka
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Balcombe; Fraser, Iacovitti, Taylor; Bwomono, Phillips, O'Hara, Tanser; McMenamin, Olusanya, Kiltie
We say: St Johnstone 1-0 St Mirren
St Johnstone will be boosted by their 1-1 draw with Aberdeen last time out, and with St Mirren managing just one league win on the road this season, we believe the hosts will secure the three points here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
