Ninth faces eighth as St Johnstone host St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, with both sides hoping to bounce back from league draws.
The Saints shared the points with Dundee United last time out, while the Buddies came from behind to secure a point at home to Motherwell.
Match preview
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St Johnstone were unable to secure their first win since early November as they could only draw away at Dundee United on Tuesday evening.
The Saints were ahead at half time thanks to goals from Guy Melamed and Chris Kane, but Lawrence Shankland's 50-yard strike earned the hosts a point.
That result extended St Johnstone's winless run in the league to 10 matches, although manager Callum Davidson is confident that his side will soon get back to winning ways.
St Johnstone have struggled at home this season, scoring just four goals in their 11 home league games, fewer than any other Scottish Premiership club on home soil in 2020-21.
The Saints, however, do have a good home record against St Mirren, having won seven of their last nine league matches against them at McDiarmid Park, keeping a clean sheet in each of their last five fixtures.
Victory on Saturday would be their fifth top-flight win of the season and could move them level on points with St Mirren, who sit one place above them in eighth.
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Jamie McGrath's late penalty rescued a point for St Mirren as they drew 1-1 at home to Motherwell last weekend.
Manager Jim Goodwin has been impressed with his side's performances over the last few months, which has seen the Buddies lose just two of their last 16 matches in all competitions.
St Mirren head into their clash against St Johnstone having lost only one of their last six league meetings against them – a 1-0 loss in August earlier this season – but they did record a 3-2 victory in their last meeting in December.
Securing the three points this weekend could see the Buddies climb up to seventh in the Scottish Premiership, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
St Johnstone Scottish Premiership form: LLLDDD
St Mirren Scottish Premiership form: WLWLDD
Team News
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St Johnstone manager Davidson has no injury or suspension concerns heading into this weekend's match.
Defender James Brown, who recently signed on loan from Millwall, could make his debut at right-back after Danny McNamara left the club and returned to the Lions.
David Wotherspoon, who provided two assists in the draw with Dundee United, could start once again in an advanced midfield role behind striker Stevie May.
Like Davidson, St Mirren boss Goodwin has no injury or suspension concerns for Saturday's fixture.
Striker Eamonn Brophy, who made his debut as a second half substitute against Motherwell, impressed when he came off the bench and could be handed his first start for the club this weekend.
New signing Collin Quaner, who joined the club on a free transfer from Huddersfield Town last Friday, could also feature up front on Saturday.
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Clark; Rooney, Gordon, McCart; Brown, McCann, Davidson, Booth; Melamed, Wotherspoon; May
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Tait; Connolly, McGrath, Doyle-Hayes, Erhahon, Durmus; Brophy
We say: St Johnstone 1-2 St Mirren
St Johnstone have picked up just nine points at home this season, while St Mirren have lost only one of their last five away league outings. Goodwin's side will be hoping to take advantage against the hosts, who are enduring a poor run of form, and we can see them securing all three points away at McDiarmid Park.
Top betting tip
Oliver Thomas
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 St Johnstone win with a probability of 44%. A draw had a probability of 28.2% and a win for St Mirren had a probability of 27.85%.
The most likely scoreline for a St Johnstone win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.46%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.72%) and 2-1 (8.44%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (13.04%), while for a St Mirren win it was 0-1 (10.07%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for St Johnstone in this match.
