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

The visitors have had a stronger start to the 2022-23 season, and head into this match on the back of three consecutive victories.

Match preview

After the opening five fixtures St Johnstone find themselves just above the relegation places, with goal difference being the only thing keeping the club ahead of Ross County right now.

That adds an element of pressure to this fixture, as the Saints could end up being bottom of the division if they lose and other results go against them this weekend.

St Johnstone showcased their fighting ability in their most recent outing, going back and forth against Aberdeen in a five-goal thriller, but they ultimately fell short of the mark.

Despite a sixth-minute goal from Graham Carey and a second-half equaliser by Andrew Considine it was the Dons who won the game 3-2 with a late penalty from Lawrence Shankland making the difference.

Callum Davidson's men are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, and after conceding 10 times already, that is an area the squad will need to focus on.

The defensive capabilities of these two teams could not be more different right now, as the visitors have let in half the number of goals than their opponents have done.

On top of that, St Mirren head into this game on the back of a trio of clean sheets, proving that they have no problem in shutting the door.

That has worked well for them as the Buddies have won each of those games, helping them climb to sixth in the division.

Two of those victories were settled with just a single goal, showcasing a need for more attacking imputus, but the 1-0 result against Hibernian was more than enough last weekend.

An early goal from Keanu Baccus was something that the squad was able to defend, and a repeat of that result could potentially take them as high as third this weekend.

St Johnstone Scottish Premiership form:

St Johnstone form (all competitions):

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form:

St Mirren form (all competitions):

Team News

St Johnstone have had a tough start to the season due to their lengthy list of injuries, with Christopher Kane, Callum Booth, Tony Gallacher, Cameron MacPherson and David Wotherspoon all out of action right now.

It has left Davidson with limited options, which he has been working around so far, and once again tweaks are likely to be made to his team.

For the visitors, there could be an unchanged XI this weekend after another positive result was secured last weekend, marking a third victory in a row.

Alex Gogic is someone that might end up making his way into the team though, after he made his first appearance of the season as a substitute in their previous game after he returned to the club.

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:

Matthews; McGowan, Mitchell, Considine; Gordon, Phillips, Hallberg, Wright; May, Murphy

St Mirren possible starting lineup:

Carson; Fraser, Gallagher, Dunne; Strain, Baccus, Erhahon, O'Hara, Tait; Main, Ayunga

We say: St Johnstone 0-2 St Mirren

These are two teams in completely contrasting form, and that is something that will likely play into the overall result after 90 minutes on Saturday.

St Johnstone have struggled defensively this season, and considering the visitors have been able to shut up shop well, they should take all three points.

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