Preview: St Mirren vs. Livingston - prediction, team news, lineups

Livingston look to pull themselves out of the relegation zone when they make the trip to Paisley 2021 Stadium to face St Mirren on Saturday.

The hosts are currently third in the Scottish Premiership, but head into this match on the back of three games without a win.

Match preview

© Reuters

After a blistering start to the Scottish Premiership campaign things have begun to grind to a halt for St Mirren recently, who will be hoping to get things back on track following the recent international break.

The international matches came at an ideal time for the Buddies as they had gone three matches in a row without a win, made worse by the fact the results were against other teams in the hunt for a top-four finish.

A loss against Celtic was followed by a 2-2 draw with Hibernian, but St Mirren's most recent match was one to forget as they were comfortably dispatched 4-0 by Dundee.

The loss allowed others to close the gap on them, meaning St Mirren now only sit two points above Hearts and Dundee, with Kilmarnock sitting just a point behind them.

It will place plenty of pressure on Steve Robinson and his men this weekend, as a defeat could not only see them slip down from third, but it could lead to them falling out of the top four completely.

© Reuters

The visitors need points just as badly as their opponents, albeit it for completely different reasons as they head into this game bottom of the league.

The Lions most recent outing saw them dispatched by Rangers in a 2-0 defeat, resulting in their fifth loss on the bounce; a run they need to bring to an end.

A big problem for David Martindale's team has been scoring goals, as Livingston have failed to find the back of the net in their previous four outings.

Only St Johnstone have scored fewer times so far this season, and with goal difference potentially playing a big factor in the Lions getting out of the relegation zone, it is something that has to be addressed sooner than later.

The two teams shared the points in a 1-1 draw when they met earlier this season with Livington being left heartbroken after St Mirren scored a 96th-minute equaliser, but getting a point on the board would be a welcome result this time around.

Team News

© Reuters

St Mirren are set for a major boost this weekend as Jonah Ayunga has been confirmed as fit to play for the first time since rupturing his ACL back in January.

Whether or not he is ready to start from the first whistle remains to be seen, but the striker is expected to feature at some point in the game.

Mark O'Hara should also find himself back in the team on Saturday after he missed the defeat against Dundee due to illness.

It remains to be seen whether Michael Nottingham will be fit to feature in this game for the visitors after being injured prior to the international break, but his problem was not as bad as initial fears which could be a positive sign.

Ayo Obileye is another player on the shelf for Livingston at the moment, but he is also set to return soon, meanwhile Michael Devlin has been playing with a broken hand.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:

Hemming; Fraser, Gogic, Taylor; Strain, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, Tanser; McMenamin, Olusanya, Kiltie

Livingston possible starting lineup:

Hamilton; Welch-Hayes, Devlin, Kelly, Penrice; Shinnie, Pittman, Sangare, Holt; Anderson, Nouble

We say: St Mirren 3-0 Livingston

St Mirren might have been on a poor run of form as of late, but this could be the ideal game for them to return to winning ways following the international break.

Livingston are struggling for points lately which is reflected in the league table, and taking anything from this game will be a tough ask for the Lions.

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