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

St Mirren welcome Kilmarnock to the SMiSA Stadium on Saturday, 27 December 2025, as the two sides meet in the Scottish Premiership during a crucial stage of the domestic season.

With just five points separating the teams, the fixture is significant for both clubs as they look to avoid relegation following a difficult start to the campaign.

Match preview

St Mirren are positioned in the lower half of the league table in ninth place, five points above Saturday’s opponents with 17 points from their opening 16 league matches.

Stephen Robinson’s side edged Livingston 1–0 at home last weekend to extend their winning run to three matches in all competitions, with Mikael Mandron’s goal sealing the victory and earning the Buddies seven points from their last three league outings.

Earlier in the month, the Saints were held to a 3–3 draw away at Aberdeen and suffered a 3–1 defeat at Dundee, while a home loss to Celtic further underlined the challenge St Mirren have faced when competing against sides at the top end of the table.

Despite league inconsistency, St Mirren have enjoyed notable success in cup competition this season, lifting the Scottish League Cup earlier this month after a 3–1 victory over Celtic in the final, a triumph that also secured silverware and European qualification, adding further significance to their 2025/26 campaign.

Across their last six competitive matches in all competitions, St Mirren have recorded three wins, one draw and two defeats, scoring 10 goals and conceding eight.

Historically, meetings between St Mirren and Kilmarnock have produced varied outcomes - earlier in the calendar year, St Mirren registered a comprehensive 5–1 league victory over Kilmarnock at the SMiSA Stadium; however, Kilmarnock have also enjoyed success in more recent encounters, including a 2–0 league win earlier this season.

© Imago / Focus Images

Managerless Kilmarnock head to Paisley under increasing pressure as they continue to battle near the foot of the Scottish Premiership, sitting 11th in the table with 12 points from 18 matches and firmly entrenched in a relegation fight.

Their recent run has offered little respite, with last weekend’s 1–0 home defeat to Falkirk extending Killie’s winless league streak to 11 matches following earlier losses to Aberdeen and Rangers, while draws away to Hearts and at home to Dundee United provided brief encouragement without delivering momentum.

Across their last six competitive fixtures, Kilmarnock have recorded two draws and four defeats, scoring four goals and conceding 11, with just three clean sheets all season, seven penalties conceded—five of which were converted and four errors directly leading to goals.

Following the dismissal of Stuart Kettlewell, interim boss Kris Doolan has been charged with steadying the ship during a demanding run against fixtures, beginning with the narrow loss to Falkirk in his first match in charge.

Originally earmarked for a development role with the under-19s, Doolan is now leading the first team alongside coaches Craig Clark and Paul Di Giacomo as the club begins the process of appointing a permanent manager.

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form:

St Mirren form (all competitions):

Kilmarnock Scottish Premiership form:

Team News

© Imago

St Mirren will be without a key midfield presence for the clash with Kilmarnock after the club confirmed that Keanu Baccus has suffered a significant hamstring tendon injury.

Manager Robinson revealed that the Australian international could be sidelined for a lengthy period, potentially up to three months (approximately eight to ten weeks), following medical assessments, making him unavailable through the early part of 2026 unless his recovery progresses faster than expected.

Baccus’ absence represents a notable blow to St Mirren’s midfield options, particularly given his influential performances during the club’s successful League Cup campaign.

Aside from Baccus, players who featured in the recent Premier Sports Cup final and subsequent league fixtures are expected to be available for selection, barring any late fitness issues.

Kilmarnock have no new injury concerns, though striker Djenairo Daniels remains sidelined after sustaining a serious knee injury while on international duty with Suriname, with medical staff indicating he is likely to miss the remainder of the season.

Goalkeeper Max Stryjek is also unavailable as he continues a prolonged recovery and treatment programme following a medical anomaly detected during routine testing in October and is expected to be out for at least 16 weeks.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:

George; King, Freckleton, Fraser; Gogic, Phillips, Idowu, McMenamin, John; N’Lundulu, Ayunga

Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:

Oluwayemi; Brown, Mayo, Deas, Thompson; Lyons, Polworth, Kiltie; John-Jules, Watson, Anderson

We say: St Mirren 2-1 Kilmarnock

St Mirren come into this fixture on the back of three positive results and will be aiming to distance themselves from the relegation zone, with Kilmarnock’s managerial uncertainty offering a potential advantage to the hosts.

The Pride of Ayrshire have endured a difficult season, but this match could act as a catalyst for the club to accelerate plans to appoint a permanent first-team manager.

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