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

St Johnstone will be hoping to put some pressure on the teams above them in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday as they continue to try and escape the relegation zone when they face Dundee United.

The Terrors have failed to win their previous two matches in all competitions, but a victory would give them chance to climb into the top half of the table.

Match preview

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The first half of the season proved to be a difficult one for St Johnstone, winning only three matches before the winter break, which is something that had led to them being in the relegation zone.

St Johnstone are five points adrift of safety at the moment, meaning it is impossible to escape this weekend, but with a game in hand on Ross County, a victory could go a long way to helping them.

However, Callum Davidson likely does have one eye over his shoulder as well, considering the fact Dundee are just a point behind them, meaning a defeat could see his team sink to the foot of the table.

The Saints did pick up three points in midweek though, securing the victory in dramatic fashion as Ali Crawford scored in the 90th minute to give his team a crucial 2-1 win.

That followed up a goalless draw against Dundee, which has built up some confidence within the group, and Davidson shall now be looking for his squad to put a run together in order to climb the table.

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Dundee United, on the other hand, have failed to win their previous two matches, although they were also held to a goalless draw against the Dark Blues, which took place in midweek.

Before that they were defeated by Celtic, and the Terrors have actually only managed to put one victory together in their previous 10 Scottish Premiership games, which has placed real pressure on the squad.

Despite that, Tam Courts has kept his team in a good league position, to the point where a victory would have the potential to take them into the top half of the table if other results go their way.

On the road, Dundee United have only won twice this season, which is something the squad will want to fix in order to provide some more consistency, which will be needed in order to finish as high as possible.

However, when they met earlier on this season it was St Johnstone who took all three points, with Crawford's goal in the 17th minute being enough to separate them on the day.

Team News

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After scoring a crucial winner late in the game on midweek, Crawford could find himself in the starting lineup once again, especially since he was able to score against their opponents earlier this season.

Jahmal Hector-Ingram is another player that could be looking to get some game time on Saturday after he signed in January, which could provide Davidson with some selection headaches up front.

Dundee United chose to allow Declan Glass to leave the club on loan in January, meaning the midfielder will not be available, but Kevin McDonald has joined the Terrors on a short-term deal, providing a replacement.

Ryan Edwards was able to return to the Terrors starting lineup in midweek after the birth of his child, and he provided further experience to the defensive side of the team, which was clear to see after they picked up a clean sheet.

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:

Clark; Cleary, Gordon, McCart; Booth, Crawfield, Butterfield, Hallberg, Brown; May, Hendry

Dundee United possible starting lineup:

Siegrist; Butcher, Edwards, Graham; McMann, Harkes, Levitt, Freeman, Clark; Watt, McNulty

We say: St Johnstone 1-0 Dundee United

St Johnstone have put together a couple of important results in their last two games, which is something that they shall be hoping to continue heading into this weekend.

Dundee United might be higher in the league table, but they are in extremely poor form at the moment, which is something that the Saints could take advantage of on Saturday.