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

Aberdeen, aiming to end a 12-game winless run in the Scottish Premiership, are set to welcome St Mirren to the Pittodrie Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts are fourth in the table with 35 points from 23 games, while the visitors are eighth in the standings with 27 points from their 23 outings.

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Match preview

Aberdeen initially made a sensational start to the campaign under the management of new boss Jimmy Thelin, who was appointed over the summer, with the Dons remaining undefeated in their opening 16 fixtures across all competitions, recording 15 wins and one draw.

They did finally suffer their first defeat of the campaign as they were humiliated in a 6-0 defeat to Celtic in their Scottish League Cup semi-final tie, but the Dons were able to instantly bounce back with a 4-1 win against Dundee in the league.

Those results left Aberdeen joint at the top of the table with Celtic after 11 league fixtures, but a miserable run in the following outings has seen them suffer a considerable drop off.

Aberdeen have failed to win any of their last 12 matches in the Scottish Premiership, picking up just four points from a possible 36 with just four draws and eight defeats.

However, they were able to bring an end to that streak with a 3-0 win against lower-league Elgin City in their fourth round Scottish Cup tie, and Thelin will be hoping to build on that result with a first league win since November here.

Their opponents, St Mirren, are also heading into this one having ended a disappointing run in the league with a 3-1 victory over Queen of The South in the Scottish Cup.

The Saints went into that game having lost all of their last four matches, with an aggregate score of 8-1, meaning they are also hoping to end a losing streak in the league on Saturday.

Not only will St Mirren draw confidence from their recent victory in the cup, but they also have a favourable record against Aberdeen in recent meetings, recording three wins, one draw and only one defeat in their last five encounters.

However, they have struggled on the road throughout this campaign, only managing three wins and one draw from their 11 away league fixtures, suffering seven losses in that time.

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Team News

Aberdeen are expected to be without the services of Dimitar Mitov (hamstring), Ester Sokler (hamstring), Gavin Molloy (shoulder), Jack Milne (ankle) and Vicente Besuijen due to injury.

After defeating Elgin City to record their first win since November in their last outing, Thelin could decide to award several of the starters a place in the team here.

As for St Mirren, they are unable to call upon both Charles Dunne (hamstring) and Conor McMenamin (calf) due to ongoing injury issues, with both anticipated to return in the coming weeks.

Similarly to Aberdeen, after ending their four-game losing streak with a win at the weekend, Stephen Robinson could opt to name a similar starting 11 in this one.

Aberdeen possible starting lineup: Doohan; Devlin, Nilsen, Rubezic, McGarry; Shinnie, Palaversa; Morris, Clarkson, Duk; Nisbet

St Mirren possible starting lineup: Hemming; Fraser, Iacovitti, Gogic; Bwomono, Phillips, O'Hara, Tanser; Kiltie, Mandron, Olusanya

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We say: Aberdeen 2-1 St Mirren

Despite their recent difficulties, Aberdeen still boast a strong home record of seven wins, two draws and three defeats in the league, while St Mirren have a poor away record this term, leading us to believe the hosts will win here.

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

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