Livingstonvs.St Johnstone

While the Perth club are fighting for survival in the Premiership, their quarter-final hosts are vying for promotion from Scotland's second tier.

Match preview

After beating Ross County 3-2 in the previous round, Championship side Livingston swept past Cove Rangers in their fifth-round Scottish Cup tie, beating the League One outfit 3-0.

Australian striker Tete Yengi bagged a late brace to book Livi's place in the quarter-finals, and they are now just two wins away from striding out at Hampden in May.

The West Lothian club suffered relegation from the Premiership last season, finishing bottom of the table as their six-year stay in the top tier finally came to an end.

Aiming for an instant promotion, long-serving boss David Martindale has helped his squad fight for the Championship title, as one of three teams breaking away from the pack.

Livingston sit third in the table with 54 points, leaving them just three behind league leaders Falkirk and level with second-placed Ayr United.

Taking a brief break from their scrap for the sole automatic promotion place, they now return to knockout football, meeting St Johnstone for the first time since winning 2-1 on home turf when the teams clashed last May.

Having defeated Motherwell 1-0 to progress from the fourth round, last month St Johnstone tackled Championship strugglers Hamilton Academical in round five.

Only an 87th-minute strike from Adama Sidibeh separated the sides, but that was enough to reach this year's Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

Having fought against the drop in each of the past three seasons, the Saints are involved in another relegation battle this term, and they could even swap places with Livi in a few months time.

Simo Valakari's side are at the foot of the Premiership standings with just 25 points from 29 games, leaving them three behind 11th-placed Dundee.

The bottom two clashed last Saturday, as St Johnstone visited Dundee at Dens Park, where they missed out on a chance to move above their rivals by letting a lead slip and ultimately settling for a 1-1 draw.

Having recently followed a nine-game winless run with five wins in eight games, though, they are still enjoying their best spell of the season and may head for Livingston expecting to progress.

Livingston Scottish Cup form:

D

W

Livingston form (all competitions):

W

D

W

W

D

D

St Johnstone Scottish Cup form:

W

W

St Johnstone form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

W

D

Team News

St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari could have Victor Griffith and Benjamin Kimpioka back in his squad, but Uche Ikpeazu and long-term absentee Sam McClelland are still sidelined.

McClelland has been on the recovery trail since rupturing his Achilles in August and is now close to a return; however, he will not be available on Monday.

Valakari recently revealed that he tried to sign Tete Yengi when they were both in Finland, and the latter should feature in Livingston's three-man attack.

Top scorer Robbie Muirhead is a key figure for the hosts, who also have St Johnstone loanee Stevie May vying for selection in the final third.

Livingston possible starting lineup:

Prior; Nottingham, McGowan, Wilson, Clarke; Muirhead, Brandon, Tait; Montano, May, Yengi

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:

Fisher; Balodis, Mitchell, Douglas; Curtis, Sprangler, Holt, Wright; Kirk, Svedberg; Sidibeh

We say: Livingston 2-1 St Johnstone

This is the furthest St Johnstone have gone in the Scottish Cup since lifting the trophy for a second time in 2021, but their journey is set to stop in Livingston.

Written by

Jonathan O'Shea

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