Preview: St Johnstone vs. Livingston - prediction, team news, lineups

The Lions are 11 points adrift of safety at the moment, with this fixture providing them the chance to close that while the hosts will look to push themselves further away from the relegation zone.

Match preview

St Johnstone ended their four-match losing streak in midweek by picking up an important three points against Aberdeen which helped to push them further away from the two relegation places.

Goals from Nicky Clark and Benjamin Mbunga-Kimpioka proved to be enough to dispatch the Dons as they kept a clean sheet in the process for the second time this month.

The victory extended their gap above the relegation zone to four points and more importantly an 11-point difference between themselves and Livingston, which they shall be attempting to push even further this time.

The Saints have been stronger in home fixtures throughout this season, picking up four of their six victories in the Scottish Premiership, and that should inject some confidence into the team.

However, St Johnstone have failed to defeat Livingston in their two previous meetings this season which does put a lot more pressure on them this time around.

Both of their matches to this point have finished as a draw, and while that should provide some confidence to the visitors they will be pushing for more than just a point.

Livingston desperately need points to try and close the gap on those above them as they continue to prop up the table in what has proven to be a season to forget.

The Lions were unable to follow up their victory against St Mirren, and instead head into this fixture on the back of consecutive defeats, conceding three goals in each game.

While David Martindale's men pushed Ross County to a five-goal thriller, the same cannot be said for their most recent outing where they were comfortably beaten 3-1 by Motherwell.

The defeat was a frustrating one considering Tete Yengi had given them the lead in the third minute, therefore concentration and defensive improvement will be key this weekend.

St Johnstone Scottish Premiership form:

W

L

L

L

L

W

Livingston Scottish Premiership form:

D

L

L

W

L

L

Livingston form (all competitions):

L

L

W

W

L

L

Team News

Following a 2-0 win in midweek, it is unlikely that Craig Levein will make any alterations to the St Johnstone starting lineup as he aims to follow up on that positive result.

The Saints boss had made five changes for the game against Aberdeen, bringing in Ryan McGowan, David Keltjens, Sven Sprangler, Diallang Jaiyesimi and Mbunga-Kimpioka, and their positive impacts should allow them to retain their places.

Yengi will lead the line for the visitors, with his recent goalscoring antics helping the Lions cause problems from an offensive perspective.

Jason Holt has been at the heart of the Livingston midfield lately, and his box-to-box style is going to be key this weekend.

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:

Mitov; Keltjens, McGowan, Gordon, Robinson; Phillips, Sprangler, Smith, Clark, Jaiyesimi; Kimpioka

Livingston possible starting lineup:

George; Brandon, Nottingham, Obileye, Sangare; Carson, Holt, Nouble, Anderson, Mackay; Yengi

We say: St Johnstone X-Y Livingston

This is a classic 'six-pointer' due to how close the two teams are in the league table, and the fact that time is running out for either to secure their Scottish Premiership status for next season.

St Johnstone will be the favourites due to having the home advantage and being the stronger team throughout the season, and that should be enough to see them dispatch Livingston.

Previews by email