The two bottom teams in the SPL will compete against each other on Wednesday in what is a crucial match in the relegation battle as St Johnstone host Dundee.
The hosts have the chance to lift themselves off the foot of the table with a victory, but they will need to respond to being knocked out of the Scottish Cup.
Match preview
© Reuters
St Johnstone have only managed to win three games so far this season, which is why they are stuck at the bottom of the table, which is now placing a lot of pressure on each match as time begins to run out.
The club could overtake Dundee with a victory, but they are seven points away from complete safety, with the club needing to put a string of results together.
The Saints were given a break from the league at the weekend when they competed in the Scottish Cup, but that did not bring a change in fortune as they were knocked out by Kelty Hearts.
A goal from Kallum Higginbotham in extra time was the difference between the squads as St Johnstone lost 1-0, adding to their misery.
Callum Davidson has admitted that his job is currently under threat due to their poor form, which adds even more pressure on the squad to get three points on Wednesday.
© Reuters
However, Dundee are just as desperate for a win as they also sit in the relegation zone, although there is only five points between them and Ross County, which is a gap they could shrink with a victory.
The Dark Blues come into this game fresh from a win at the weekend as they knocked out Dumbarton thanks to a Leigh Griffiths penalty, and that confidence could help them in midweek.
Prior to that, Dundee had not won in six matches, but the last time they did secure three points just so happened to be against St Johnstone.
Once again it was a 1-0 result, this time with Danny Mullen getting on the scoresheet; however, they have traded wins this season as the Saints defeated the Dark Blues earlier on in the campaign.
Chris Kane scored a brace while Stevie May also found the back of the net as Davidson's men won 3-1 in October, a result they would be happy to repeat.
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- W
Team News
© Reuters
David Wotherspoon is a long-term absence for St Johnstone as he is out for the entire season due to a cruciate ligame rupture, but Shaun Rooney and Craig Bryson also remain on the sidelines.
Davidson did make several changes at the weekend, opting to rest May and Liam Craig, and both of them could end up being brought back into the team on Wednesday.
Lee Ashcroft and Cillian Sheridan are two injury problems that Dundee have had to deal with as of late, which is something that has caused some issues.
Griffiths found the back of the net after coming on from the bench, and he could have done enough to earn a place in the starting XI on Wednesday because of that.
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Clark; Gordon, Cleary, McCart; Butterfield, Davidson, Craig, Booth, O'Halloran; Kane, May
Dundee possible starting lineup:
Legzdins; Kerr, McGhee, Fontaine, Marshall; Adam, Anderson; McCowan, McGowan, McMullan; Griffiths
We say: St Johnstone 0-2 Dundee
The lack of goals that St Johnstone have scored this season has proven to be a sticking point for them, only finding the back of the net 11 times throughout the campaign.
That is something that could cause them problems once again this week, with Dundee looking to kick on from their recent victory, which they could do once again.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Dundee win with a probability of 43.66%. A draw had a probability of 28.4% and a win for St Johnstone had a probability of 27.99%.
The most likely scoreline for a Dundee win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.59%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (8.69%) and 1-2 (8.36%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (13.08%), while for a St Johnstone win it was 1-0 (10.24%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 10.6% likelihood.
