Preview: St Johnstone vs. Hearts - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams at opposite ends of the Scottish Premiership will compete on Saturday, when third-placed Hearts make the trip to McDiarmid Park to face St Johnstone, who are currently bottom of the league.

The Saints could climb above Dundee this weekend with a victory; meanwhile, the visitors will be hoping to keep the gap between themselves and the chasing pack as large as it is.

Match preview

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St Johnstone are without a victory in their previous three outings, but they have drawn two of those matches, which includes their most recent fixture against Aberdeen.

Callum Hendry had given his team the lead early on in the sixth minute, but they were not able to hang on to that, as Lewis Ferguson score a second-half penalty to ensure they shared the points.

The draw was not enough to get the Saints off the foot of the table, as they sit just behind Dundee, but a victory on Saturday could see them leapfrog the Dark Blues as they continue to fight for survival.

Callum Davidson's squad are seven points away from safety right now, which is a gap they will be desperate to close; however, St Johnstone have struggled at home throughout this campaign.

The Saints have won just once in front of their own support, boasting the worst record in the league, and that is something that Hearts will be hoping to exploit this weekend.

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The visitors are sat in third place right now, with a 10-point gap from the chasing pack, and the Jambos are aiming to maintain that position in order to finish the season strong.

The squad were able to knockout Livingston in the Scottish Cup last weekend following a goalless draw, with Hearts eventually winning via a penalty shootout.

However, their previous three matches in the league have seen them fail to pick up a victory, with defeats against Rangers and Dundee and a draw with Hibernian.

Robbie Neilson's squad have only scored once in their last five games, which is something that the squad have to address if they are hoping to get back to winning ways.

Although, the last time the two teams met Hearts were able to earn three points with a 2-0 defeat, and their previous encounter resulted in a draw, providing the Jambos with some confidence.

Team News

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St Johnstone will be without Zander Clark and Melker Hallberg this weekend after they suffered injuries, while Hendry is also unfit, and they are all doubts heading into this fixture.

However, they are not the only players on the sidelines as Shaun Rooney, David Wotherspoon and Chris Kane are also missing, stretching the team even further.

Michael Smith returned to the team in the Scottish Cup following an injury, and he could be in line to feature once again as part of the Hearts midfield.

The Jambos opted to rest Liam Boyce during that game, but the talisman is expected to return to the starting lineup on Saturday, leading the line for the squad.

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Parish; Cleary, Gordon, McCart; Booth, Butterfield, Brown, Craig; Middleton, Crawford; May

Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Sibbick, Souttar, Kingsley; Smith, Devlin, Baningime, Cochrane; McKay, Boyce, Simms

We say: St Johnstone 2-1 Hearts

St Johnstone might be bottom of the league right now, but they head into the match with stronger form, which is something that could provide them with enough confidence to get another result this weekend.

Hearts have the stronger squad, which is reflected by the table, but the Jambos have struggled to score goals as of late, and that might make things difficult for them here against a team desperate for points.

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