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St Mirren logo
Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 6
Sep 23, 2023 at 3pm UK
The Smisa Stadium
Hearts logo

St Mirren
1 - 0
Hearts

Strain (7')
Baccus (24'), Olusanya (25')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Rowles (24')

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

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

St Mirren will be looking to continue their undefeated start to the Scottish Premiership campaign and attempt to place pressure on leaders Celtic when they host Hearts on Saturday.

The visitors currently sit in fifth place and have also started the season well, setting up what should be a closely-contested fixture.


Match preview

St Mirren's Declan Gallagher with teammates talk to referee Nick Walsh after he awards a penalty to Rangers on October 8, 2022© Reuters

St Mirren have been the surprise package of the SPL so far this season, with the club currently sat second in the league table, just two points behind Celtic.

The Buddies are undefeated in the opening five matches with three wins and two draws, helping them to shoot up the division early on.

After consecutive draws St Mirren got back to winning ways last weekend with a 1-0 win over Motherwell as Scott Tanser scored the only goal of the game.

The clean sheet showcased the qualities that St Mirren have at the back, while only Celtic have scored more goals than them to this point, showcasing the attacking edge they also possess.

A victory this weekend has the possibility of moving the Buddies to the top of the table, but nevertheless, there are only two points between them and Celtic at present, showcasing just how impressive they have been.

Hearts Josh Ginnelly celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on March 8, 2023© Reuters

However, Hearts will also want to close the gap on the league leaders and St Mirren themselves as there are just four points separating them in the league table.

The Jambos have had a mixed start with two wins and two draws as well as one defeat, and there is a clear need for consistency should they want to start pushing further up the division.

However, Hearts have only conceded twice this season, with the team being set up perfectly from a defensive point of view, but that has come at the expense of scoring goals.

Steven Naismith's men have only scored four times, which is something they need to focus on, but they did score twice in their most recent outing.

Yutaro Oda and Liam Boyce got on the scoresheet to help Hearts defeat Aberdeen 2-0, bringing an end to a four-game run without a win in the process.

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form:


St Mirren form (all competitions):


Hearts Scottish Premiership form:


Hearts form (all competitions):



Team News

After a four-game absence, Mark O'Hara returned to the starting lineup for St Mirren last weekend, and he is expected to feature in midfield once again.

With his return, it could be an unchanged starting XI for the hosts this weekend as they aim to continue building their momentum.

The visitors have several injury concerns of their own to deal with as Barrie McKay, Craig Halkett and Craig Gordon are all on the sidelines, which is providing opportunities for others.

Oda and Boyce will both expect to start after scoring last weekend, while Lawrence Shankland should start in front of them as a sole striker.


St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Hemming; Fraser, Gogic, Taylor; Strain, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, Tanser; McMenamin, Kiltie, Mandron

Hearts possible starting lineup:
Clark; Atkinson, Kent, Rowles, Cochrane; Devlin, Haring; Oda, Boyce, Sibbick; Shankland


SM words green background

We say: St Mirren 2-1 Hearts

Hearts managed to get back to winning ways last weekend which should lead to them bringing plenty of confidence into this game, but that may not be enough.

St Mirren are enjoying a fantastic run right now, and that is something that should continue this weekend with another three points expected.



For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top 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.Over 1.5:data


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Game History

How you voted: St Mirren vs Hearts

St Mirren
63.6%
Draw
0.0%
Hearts
36.4%
11
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Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on September 3, 2023
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1110103132831
2Aberdeen11101024101431
3RangersRangers11713168822
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd125431813519
5Motherwell116141514119
6St Mirren134361722-515
7Dundee123361824-612
8Kilmarnock123361525-1012
9Ross County132651021-1112
10St Johnstone133191627-1110
11Hearts132381420-69
12Hibernian121561118-78


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