Preview:St Mirren vs Hearts - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to avoid four straight defeats in the Scottish Premiership, St Mirren welcome pacesetters Hearts to The SMISA Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Buddies suffered a heavy defeat on the road against Dundee United last time out, whilst the Jambos picked up a standout success over champions Celtic.

Match preview

After finishing sixth in the Scottish Premiership during the 2024-25 campaign, it appeared as if St Mirren were heading towards an improved placement this time around following a five-game unbeaten run between early August and late September, but the hosts' form has taken a downwards turn in recent times.

The Buddies are now in the midst of a three-game losing streak following a comeback victory for Dundee United on Saturday afternoon, when former Bolton Wanderers man Dan Nlundulu bagged his first goal in Scottish football, ultimately in a 3-1 defeat.

Aiming to avoid four consecutive losses for the first time since January 2025, St Mirren have slumped down to ninth spot in the Premiership rankings ahead of Wednesday night's visit from the league leaders, just three points above Livingston at the foot of the table.

Finding the net on just two occasions across four league matches at The SMISA Stadium so far in 2025-26, the Buddies need to up their strike rate on home soil if they wish to secure back-to-back top-six finishes, with Stephen Robinson's troops also the joint-lowest goalscorers in the division overall (6).

St Mirren will be looking to repeat an early-season encounter between the two sides on this very turf from the middle of August, when the Saints condemned Hearts to their only competitive loss of the term so far in the Scottish League Cup, with the home side victorious on penalties.

After placing outside of the top half of the Scottish Premiership standings last season, Hearts have enjoyed an extreme turnaround at the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign, with Wednesday night's visitors hoping to challenge for their first top-tier title since 1960.

The in-form Jambos extended their unbeaten league run at the start of the term to a staggering nine contests, with their most impressive success yet on Sunday afternoon, when second-half efforts from Lawrence Shankland and Alexandros Kiziridis inspired a 3-1 win over Celtic.

Heading towards the cruel winter months, Hearts are currently sitting pretty at the very summit of the Scottish Premiership rankings with a staggering 25 points from nine matches, a mammoth eight ahead of Brendan Rodgers's Bhoys in second spot.

Only dropping two points at Tynecastle against Motherwell (3-3) at the end of August, the Jambos have been flawless on their top-flight travels to date, winning each of their four matches on the road, scoring 10 and conceding just three in the enjoyable process.

Alongside the attacking talents of Scotsman Shankland, Hearts have excellent summer recruitment to thank for their stellar start to the season, with both Claudio Braga and 25-year-old Kiziridis hitting the ground running on the British Isles, collecting a combined total of 13 goal contributions.

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form:

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St Mirren form (all competitions):

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Hearts Scottish Premiership form:

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Team News

Earning a straight red card during the closing stages of the loss at Dundee United on the weekend, St Mirren man Alexandros Gogic is suspended for Wednesday night's clash.

As a result, the Buddies will need to recruit a new option for their starting back three, with 22-year-old Jalmaro Calvin a possible candidate for the role.

Hearts have fared exceptionally so far despite a mounting injury list, on which includes the name of Ryan Fulton, who is unable to feature because of a groin injury.

The Jambos' options near the back of the pitch are reduced further by the absence of Frankie Kent, with the defender battling against a knee problem.

Limited to four League Cup appearances in 2025-26 to date, Australian Calem Nieuwenhof is hoping to return in November from a hamstring strain.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:

George; Calvin, Freckleton, Fraser; McMenamin, O'Hara, Phillips, Baccus, John; Ayunga, Nlundulu

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Schwolow; McEntee, Halkett, Findlay, Kingsley; Milne, Devlin, Baningime, Kiziridis; Braga, Shankland

We say: St Mirren 0-1 Hearts

Off the back of some worrying results, St Mirren could be slightly intimidated by the arrival of unbeaten leaders Hearts to The SMISA Stadium on Wednesday.

The Jambos breezed past Celtic on the weekend and should have no doubts regarding their ability to collect another three points this time around.

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