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

St Johnstone and Dundee United, separated by just one place in the Scottish Premiership standings, will come together at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.

The hosts are fifth with 11 points from five matches, only ahead of their sixth-placed visitors on goal difference.

Match preview

St Johnstone have enjoyed a fantastic start to their Scottish Premiership return, sitting fifth in the standings with 11 points after eight matchdays.

Simo Valakari's side have recorded three wins, two draws and suffered only three defeats, with the Saints scoring 10 and conceding 10 goals in the league in that time.

Even in their three defeats, St Johnstone have demonstrated their ability to compete at the top level, only narrowly losing to St Mirren (1-0), Hearts (2-1) and Celtic (1-0).

The Saints have been at their best when playing at home, winning two, drawing one and losing one of their four league matches at McDiarmid Park, and they will be eager to maintain that record when they take on Dundee United.

St Johnstone are likely to rely on Josh Fowler's goalscoring ability if they are to secure a result, with the striker impressively scoring five goals in eight appearances in his first-ever Scottish Premiership season.

Dundee United will be another tricky test for the hosts, though, with the Tangerines heading into Saturday's encounter off the back of an equally strong start to the 2026-27 season.

Jim Goodwin's side initially endured a slow start, failing to win any of their opening three league fixtures - with two defeats and one draw - while also suffering elimination from the Scottish League Cup during that run.

However, Dundee United finally tasted victory for the first time on matchday four, emphatically defeating Kilmarnock 4-0.

Despite failing to immediately build on that triumph, losing 3-0 to Motherwell, the Tangerines have subsequently drawn one and won two of their last three outings.

Dundee United have improved across all areas of the pitch in that time, from conceding seven and scoring just once in their first three league matches to scoring nine and conceding four in their last five games.

Now looking to maintain their momentum and leapfrog their opponents, and potentially rivals Dundee depending on their result against Rangers, Dundee United will be searching for a third straight victory on Saturday.

The Tangerines have had the upper-hand in recent renditions of this fixture, including winning each of the last three clashes by an aggregate score of 5-1.

St Johnstone Scottish Premiership form:

St Johnstone form (all competitions):

Dundee United Scottish Premiership form:

Dundee United form (all competitions):

Team News

Zach Mitchell is the only expected absentee for St Johnstone, with the defender recovering from a cruciate ligament injury.

The Saints were boosted by the long-awaited return of Bozo Mikulic against Aberdeen, and they will be further strengthened by the return of Cheick Diabate, who is back available after serving his suspension.

Fowler has scored five of St Johnstone's 10 league goals this season, and the striker should continue ahead of Ruari Paton and Sam Stanton in attack.

Dundee United, meanwhile, are without Mehdi Merghem due to a leg injury, while Emmanuel Agyei remains a doubt with a knee issue.

After defeating Hibernian 1-0 in their last outing, Goodwin may opt to name an unchanged starting 11 on Saturday, including goalscorer Daniel Bennie alongside Idjessi Metsoko and Jesse Randall in attack.

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:

Steward; Smith, Finlayson, Foulds; Todd, McAlear, Holt, Alic; Stanton, Paton; Fowler

Dundee United possible starting lineup:

Walton; Rawlins, Esselink, Forbes, Ciubotaru; Tait, Cameron, Iqbal; Randall, Metsoko, Bennie

We say: St Johnstone 1-1 Dundee United

St Johnstone have been at their best at home, but Dundee United boast a fantastic recent record in this fixture.

As both teams are also locked level on 11 points after eight matches, we are predicting this match will be a hard-fought clash between two evenly-matched side that ultimately ends all square.

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