DomainJava.com – St Johnstone vs Hibernian prediction in Scottish Premier match, St Johnstone will hope to bounce back from defeat when they host Hibernian on Thursday at McDiarmid Park in the 21st match of the Scottish Premier League 2024-25 season.
The hosts are bottom of the table in 12th place with just 14 points and were beaten 4-0 by Celtic on Sunday, while the away side won 1-0 against Kilmarnock on December 29 and are seventh on 24 points.
While most teams in the top flight will struggle to avoid defeat against champions Celtic, St Johnstone managed just one shot in the entire match and faced 30 attempts themselves, as well as six big chances and 20 shots from inside the box.
The hosts were also beaten 2–0 by Hibernian in the league on 14 September, a match in which they failed to create any big chances and only had one attempt from inside the box.
Simo Valakari's side have conceded 40 goals and scored just 22 in the Scottish Premiership, and this is the worst defensive record and second worst attacking record in the division.
The Saints are in poor form having lost eight of their last 10 games, including their last four.
Valakari's fortunes at McDiarmid Park are not much better considering his side have lost seven of their last nine games at home and in fact have lost 12, drawn four and won just two of their last 18 games at home.
Meanwhile, Hibernian dominated their match against Kilmarnock, producing almost 2.5 xG, creating three big chances and limiting their opponents to just 0.25 xG over the 90 minutes.
Manager David Gray will be pleased that his side are just three points behind sixth-placed Motherwell, who occupy the league's final title playoff spot.
Gray's side have scored 15 of their 31 league goals in the last seven games, while they have conceded nine of their 27 goals in that period.
Hibs' recent record has been excellent, with the club winning their last four games and losing just once in their last eight.
The visitors' form on the road is quite good considering that they have won three of their last four away games, but it is worth noting that they lost six and drew two of their previous eight away games.
Given St Johnstone will be playing without centre-back Sam McClelland, fans will likely see a back three consisting of Jack Sanders, Kyle Cameron and Bozo Mikulic.
Valakari could field Aaron Essel, Sven Sprangler and Matthew Smith in midfield due to the absence of Cameron MacPherson.
Striker Uche Ikpeazu is due to return from injury early next month, but until he returns, Nicky Clark and Mackenzie Kirk are expected to feature in the forward line on Thursday.
Hibernian striker Kieron Bowie is ruled out, while striker Mykola Kukharevych is a doubt, so perhaps Martin Boyle and Junior Hoilett will be team-mates in attack.
Centre-back Jack Iredale was substituted due to injury in the last game and was joined by Marvin Ekpiteta on the bench, and this could mean that boss Gray starts Lewis Miller, Rocky Bushiri Kiranga and Jordan Obita in the back line.
Attacking midfielder Rudi Allan Molotnikov is a doubt, while midfielder Joe Newell was forced off in the last game, and this may lead to Gray starting Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Nectarios Triantis behind striker Josh Campbell.
(source: Sportsmole)
St Johnstone vs Hibernian Player Predictions
St Johnstone: Rae; Sanders, Cameron, Mikulic; Franczak, Essel, Sprangler, Smith, Raymond; Clark, Kirk
Hibernian : Smith; Miller, Preaching, Obita; Cadden, Triantis, Kwon, Cadden; Campbell; Boyle, Hoilett
St Johnstone vs Hibernian Score Prediction: 1-2
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