TWO clubs separated only by two points in the Scottish Premiership table meet at McDiarmid Park on Saturday afternoon as eighth-placed Kilmarnock travel to 10th-placed St Johnstone in a fixture that appeals to me for goals.
After losing four of their opening five Premiership matches of the season, St Johnstone decided to axe unpopular manager Craig Levein.
The Saints then threw away a 1-3 lead to draw 3-3 late on up at Dingwall before being thrashed 0-6 at home to Celtic and losing 2-0 to the other half of the Old Firm in Govan against Rangers.
New boss Simo Valakari did guide The Saints to back-to-back wins at home to Ross County and away at Dundee, but three defeats on the spin have left them in 10th position, just two points above bottom side Hibs.
Kilmarnock found it tough to juggle domestic and European football at the start of the season, as they lost each of their opening three Premiership fixtures by an aggregate score of 9-0.
Derek McInnes’s men did improve and went on a five-match unbeaten run (W2-D3-L0), including a 1-0 over Rangers at Rugby Park.
However, since then, Killie have gone on to lose three of their last four Premiership outings (W1-D0-L3) to leave them in eighth position, three points outside of the top six.
How the bookies view it: Killie given the edge
Despite playing away from their artificial turf, Kilmarnock have been installed as favourites, with the Ayrshire club priced at 11/8 with William Hill.
St Johnstone are priced at 21/10 to claim just their second home win of the season, with the draw trading at 12/5.
Head to head: Killie struggle against The Saints
St Johnstone have a good recent record in this fixture, with the Perthshire side winning eight of the last 12 meetings (W8-D1-L3), including a 0-3 success at Rugby Park in August.
Players to watch: More away goals for Matty?
Veteran St Johnstone striker Nicky Clark is the Perthshire side’s joint top-scorer with five goals in the Premiership this season, with the Ex-Rangers man striking in three of his last four matches, including back-to-back penalties.
Matty Kennedy is Killie’s leading scorer in the Premiership with four goals, and remarkably, all four of those have arrived in the Ayrshire club's past four away matches.
Probable line-ups
Joint top-scorer Benji Kimpioka started on the bench last time out and may come back into the starting 11. Keeper Ross Sinclair, Cameron MacPherson and Sam McClelland remain out.
Defender Stuart Findlay remains out until the new year, whilst Kyle Magennis will likely be on the sidelines for this one too.
St Johnstone: Rae, Wright, Sanders, Cameron, Raymond, Carey, Sprangler, Smith, Holt, Sidibe, Clark
Kilmarnock: McCrorie, Wright, Mayo, Ndaba, Deas, Lyons, Donnely, Kennedy, Watson, Watkins, Vassell
Anything else catch the eye?”
Goals have been a feature of St Johnstone’s matches in the Scottish top flight this season, with their opening 13 matches in the Premiership have averaged 3.31 goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals banking in 10 (77%) of them, including in 5/5 (100%) under new boss Simo Valakari.
Kilmarnock’s opening seven Premiership encounters on their travels have averaged an eye-catching 3.71 goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals paying out in six (86%) of them, including in each of their past five.
Three of the past four meetings between the pair have seen Over 2.5 Goals payout – including in Ayrshire in August – and betting on goals is the way I’m keen to attack this game in Perthshire on Saturday.
This Scottish Premiership match between St Johnstone and Kilmarnock will be played on Nov 23, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best St Johnstone vs Kilmarnock prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
