Hibernian and St Mirren square off in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday afternoon looking to move clear in fifth position in the table.

As it stands, the two clubs, who edged into the top six for the end-of-season fixtures, are locked on the same points, four points behind fourth-placed Hearts.

Match preview

Ahead of each season, a top-six finish is the absolute bare minimum expected of Hibs, yet it took a four-point haul from their last two fixtures to earn a spot in the Championship group.

Lee Johnson witnessed his side end a four-match losing streak with a pivotal 1-0 triumph over rivals Hearts, and a comeback draw with 10 men at St Johnstone ensured that they got over the line in a positive manner.

Although Hearts got back to winning ways last time out, Hibs will feel that fourth spot is well within their grasp, particularly when they will play host to Rangers and Celtic when the title race will likely already be over.

That said, fixtures such as the one on Saturday are more important, Hibs knowing that success will put them three points clear of St Mirren with a significantly better goal difference.

Despite their indifferent set of results in general, Hibs have scored in 13 successive matches, something which will not be lost on the visitors to the capital.

At a time when Hibs are building momentum, St Mirren are losing theirs, and sitting in sixth place will come as a disappointment to Stephen Robinson.

St Mirren had been just 11 minutes away from earning a 2-2 draw at Rangers, only to concede three times during the closing stages to ship five goals for the second time in five matches.

That frustrating conclusion at Ibrox was followed by a 2-0 home defeat to 11th-placed Kilmarnock, St Mirren already two goals down before they had a player sent off.

With trips to in-form Celtic and Aberdeen on their schedule, the pressure is on St Mirren to perform in the other three games, but they have prevailed in just three of their 16 away fixtures this term.

Team News

Hibs will be forced into at least one change after James Jeggo was sent off early in the second half at St Johnstone.

Depending on whether Johnson opts for a slightly more attack-minded formation, Ewan Henderson could be drafted into the team in his place.

Barring any fitness issues, the remainder of the side could stay the same with Johnson hoping to build on recent results.

Thierry Small will miss out for St Mirren courtesy of collecting two yellow cards versus Kilmarnock, but the left-sided player had been introduced as a substitute.

Despite the disappointment of the last game, changes are expected to be few and far between with Greg Kiltie most likely to be drafted into the final third if an alteration is made.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Egan-Riley, Fish, Hanlon, Stevenson; Cadden, Doyle-Hayes, Newell, Henderson, Youan; Nisbet

St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Carson; Strain, Fraser, Shaughnessy, Dunne, Tanser; Baccus, Gogic, O'Hara; Watt, Main

We say: Hibernian 1-2 St Mirren

Having needed to dig deep to make the top six, the momentum is with Hibs as they bid for a strong end to the season. However, consistency has not been their strong point, and we are backing the visitors to bounce back from successive defeats with victory at Easter Road.

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