DUNDEE still have time to pull off a great escape but defeat at Dens in this relegation six-pointer with St Johnstone would leave them staring at the abyss.
Mark McGhee is still searching for his first win as Dark Blues boss and has resorted to bizarre measures ahead of this crunch clash, revealing that he has been depriving himself of heat and food.
But there are signs that his players still have the hunger to stay up, with Dundee coming from 2-0 down to salvage a point at Tannadice in the derby after twice mounting a recovery to draw with Aberdeen.
They still trail St Johnstone by five points at the bottom but will fancy their chances of beating a Saints side who were hammered 7-0 at Celtic Park on their last outing.
It has been a deeply disappointing season for the Perth side after the high of winning both domestic cups last season and finishing in the top six.
But Callum Davidson will be telling his players they can move out of the drop zone and avoid a relegation play-off, with St Johnstone now just six points adrift of St Mirren and Aberdeen.
This is the first game after the SPFL Premiership split and both teams will know if they can string a run of wins together against the sides sitting above them then a dark season could finish on a high.
How the bookies view it
Dundee are slight favourites with home advantage and their best price is 17/10 at VBet. St Johnstone are 2/1 shots at Coral while the stalemate pays 11/5 at Unibet.
Recent head to head
This is the fifth meeting of these sides this term and St Johnstone just have the edge, with two wins, one draw and one defeat. But Dundee won 1-0 when Saints last came calling in December (below) before the rivals ground out a 0-0 snorefest at McDiarmid Park.
Players to watch
Charlie Adam inspired Dundee's comeback in the derby and is a huge threat with his dead-ball deliveries. The veteran midfielder is 15/4 with Bet365 for a goal but might be a better bet in the assist market once that is priced up.
It's hard to look past Callum Hendry for a St Johnstone goal with the striker netting three times in his last three appearances. The son of former Scotland skipper Colin is 9/4 with Bet365 to keep his hot streak going.
Anything else catch the eye?
Just one goal has been scored across the last two meetings but recent results suggest a more open game this time. I've cashed in by backing BTTS in Dundee's last two games against United and Aberdeen as they had to go for the win. It's the same story here and that makes both teams to score appealing at 5/4 with Unibet.
It's another Tayside derby and that could lead to some flying tackles. I've yet to see a market for total cards but Bet365 are offering odds on individual players and Dundee defender Ryan Sweeney is 7/4 for an eighth card this term.
There's not much between these sides and that makes a one-goal winning margin for either team appealing at 6/5 with McBookie.
This Scottish Premiership match between Dundee and St Johnstone will be played on Apr 23, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Dundee vs St Johnstone prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
