St Mirren, looking to end a disappointing four-game losing streak, are set to come face to face with St Johnstone on Wednesday evening at The Smisa Stadium in the Scottish Premiership.
The hosts are 10th in the table with just eight points from 10 games, while the visitors are sixth in the standings with 10 points from their first 10 outings.
Match preview
s![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
Having brilliantly finished in the top half of the Scottish Premiership table in each of the last two seasons, sixth in 2022-23 and fifth in 2023-24, St Mirren will be extremely disappointed with how their start to the 2024-25 campaign has gone.
10 league matches into the season and Stephen Robinson's side reside only two points above the drop zone with just eight points from their opening 10 fixtures, with two wins, two draws and six defeats.
Robinson's team began the season reasonably well, with two wins, two draws, and two losses in their first six league matches, however, they have since suffered defeats in all four of their most recent games.
They would have been especially disappointed by the 4-0 defeat to Hearts, who had not won a league match before that encounter, and the subsequent 2-1 loss to Rangers, where St Mirren were thoroughly outplayed.
Looking to end that losing streak, St Mirren will now play host to St Johnstone, who the hosts have defeated in three of the last four encounters at The Smisa Stadium.
St Johnstone, however, are coming into this game on the back of two successive confidence-boosting victories, recording a 3-0 win against Ross County followed by a 2-1 win against Dundee.
The Saints had faced a challenging start to the campaign under Craig Levein, who was eventually sacked after amassing just three points from their first five league games.
Andy Kirk and Alex Cleland were briefly in charge of the side on an interim basis, with Simo Valakari eventually hired as the permanent manager, and he has enjoyed a brilliant start to life at St Johnstone.
Having sat in the stands for the 2-0 defeat to Rangers, Valakari has gone on to win both of his first two matches in charge, and the Finnish boss will be looking to make it three consecutive wins on Wednesday evening.
Team News
© Imago
The hosts will remain without the services of Alex Iacovitti and Richard Taylor for this match due to ongoing injury concerns, with neither expected to return until late November.
Top scorer Toyosi Olusanya has hit a barren run of form in recent weeks, failing to score in his last four appearances, and the striker will be aiming to end that run with a goal here.
As for the visitors, Uche Ikpeazu is not likely to return to action until next month due to an ongoing injury issue, while Sam McClelland is also ruled out with an Achilles issue.
Andre Raymond is also a doubt for St Johnstone after the defender was forced off in the 58th minute with an injury concern, meaning Kyle Cameron could come into the starting team.
Elsewhere, after securing back-to-back wins in his first games in charge, Valakari could decide to name a largely unchanged team for this one.
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Balcombe; Fraser, Gogic, Dunne; Bwomono, Phillips, O'Hara, Tanser; Scott, Olusanya, Kiltie
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Sinclair; Wright, Sanders, Neilson, Cameron; Holt, Smith, Sprangler; Clark; Sidibeh, Mbunga-Kimpioka
We say: St Mirren 0-2 St Johnstone
St Mirren may have enjoyed this fixture in recent years, but the visitors are heading into this one in undeniably better form than their hosts, leading us to believe St Johnstone will win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
