St Mirren and Aberdeen will face off at the Smisa Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the second matchday of the Scottish Premiership Championship round.
The hosts are sixth in the standings with 42 points from 34 league outings, while the visitors are fourth in the league table with 53 points from their 34 fixtures.
Match preview
St Mirren narrowly secured their third consecutive top half finish in the Scottish Premiership this season, as the Saints secured a final day victory to move ahead of Hearts and Motherwell and into sixth place.
Although Stephen Robinson‘s side will be pleased to have ensured another year in the Championship round, St Mirren are unlikely to secure European football, trailing fourth-placed Aberdeen by 11 points with only four matches remaining.
The Saints have 42 points from their 34 league outings, after 12 wins, six draws and 16 defeats, leaving them significantly behind Aberdeen, who sit fourth in the table with 53 points.
While the chance of moving up the standings is unlikely, a victory on Saturday would certainly increase the likelihood, as three points would close the gap on the Dons to eight points with three games to play.
St Mirren do have reason to be confident of taking all three points, as the Saints have won four of the last five meetings with the Dons, as well as six of the last eight at the Smisa Stadium.
Aberdeen, however, come into the clash in superb form, having suffered just one defeat in their last 12 matches across all competitions, alongside eight wins and three draws.
That marks a brilliant return to form for the Dons, who started the campaign unbeaten in their opening 16 matches before experiencing a miserable streak of 14 league games without a victory.
Fortunately for Jimmy Thelin, their return to winning ways started just in time to ensure their top half finish in the Scottish Premiership, while it also came in time for their Scottish FA Cup semi-final clash with Hearts, in which the Dons booked their place in the final with a 2-1 win in extra-time.
Aberdeen also boosted their chances of securing European football next season as they defeated Hibernian 1-0 in the opening matchday of the post-split campaign, moving them into fourth and only behind Hibs on goal difference.
Now aiming to continue their strong run as they look to finish third and ensure Europa League football next term, the Dons will strive to defeat St Mirren away from home for the first time since February 2020.
Team News
St Mirren are unable to call upon the services of Elvis Bwomono (calf) and Evan Mooney (ankle) due to ongoing injury issues, while the rest of the squad should be available for selection.
Conor McMenamin came from the bench to score the equalising goal against Rangers last time out, and the forward could be awarded with a start ahead of Jonah Ayunga as a result.
Elsewhere, the midfield and defence that featured in that match is likely to remain the same, with captain Mark O’Hara, who scored in that draw, continuing in the middle of the park.
As for Aberdeen, Ester Sokler (leg), Gavin Molloy (shoulder), Kristers Tobers (unspecified), Sivert Heltne Nilsen (eye) and Vicente Besuijen (unspecified) are ruled out through injury.
Following the narrow 1-0 victory over Hibernian in the opening matchday of the post-split fixtures, Thelin could look to name an unchanged starting 11 on Saturday.
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Hemming; Fraser, Gogic, Taylor; Alebiousu, Phillips, Boyd-Munce, O’Hara, John; McMenamin, Mandron
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Mitov; Jensen, Dorrington, Knoester, Shinnie; Palaversa, Clarkson; Morris, Gueye, Keskinen; Nisbet
We say: St Mirren 2-1 Aberdeen
Aberdeen may appear the stronger side coming into the clash, but St Mirren boast an impressive record in this fixture – undefeated in the last eight home meetings with six wins and two draws – leading us to expect a home victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
