St Mirren, the only Scottish club to beat Celtic this season, host the newly-crowned League Cup champions in the top flight on Sunday.

The Buddies snatched a late point against St Johnstone the day before Celtic hoisted aloft this season's first piece of silverware at the expense of arch-rivals Rangers last weekend.

Match preview

Mark O'Hara and Jonah Ayunga scored a pair of headers on either side of half time to secure a famous triumph against Celtic in September, as the victorious manager Stephen Robinson heralded his team's "shape and discipline".

St Mirren are the most direct team in the Scottish top flight, utterly uninterested in long sequences of possession but desperate to shift the ball towards the opposition goal as quickly as possible while pressing high to keep it out of their own half.

The Buddies nailed their game plan six months ago but have lost their two subsequent matches against Celtic by a four-goal margin in the league and cup.

Daniel Phillips's red card reduced St Johnstone to 10 men for the entirety of the second half, but the Buddies still fell behind to a Zak Rudden header last weekend, relying upon Alexander Gogic's 86th-minute equaliser to salvage a point and remain fifth.

Competition for a top-half Premiership finish is fierce as four clubs between fourth and seventh are separated by just two points - and St Johnstone are hardly out of the race back in eighth.

Celtic, whose ambitions are pointed squarely and solely at top spot, swatted Rangers aside in last Sunday's League Cup final with a 2-1 victory that did not accurately reflect the yawning chasm between the teams on the day.

Somehow, Kyogo Furuhashi scored his team's only two goals at Hampden Park - a feat the Japanese striker has achieved against St Mirren this term, netting half of Celtic's haul in a 4-0 win in January.

Celtic have been imperious domestically this season, sitting top of the league table at the end of every day since mercilessly rattling nine goals past Dundee United at the end of August.

However, there is a precedent of St Mirren striking a surprise in the wake of Celtic's celebrations - last year, the Bhoys were held to a goalless draw by the Buddies in their first game after winning the 2022 League Cup final.

Team News

The treatment room in Paisley is almost at bursting point after Ayunga ruptured his cruciate ligament in January, joining long-term absentee Richard Tait.

Declan Gallagher is expected to be jostling for elbow room this weekend, while Alex Greive and Scott Tanser will be assessed ahead of Celtic's visit.

The ill-disciplined Australia international Keanu Baccus is also a doubt after sitting out the previous two league games, while club captain Joe Shaughnessy was only afforded a 10-minute cameo last weekend.

David Turnbull was fit enough to make the squad which defeated Rangers at Hampden Park but did not get off the bench for fear of aggravating a knock that the midfielder has not fully shaken off.

James McCarthy has played a grand total of 22 league minutes this season and is set to remain sidelined with a hamstring injury this weekend and beyond.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Carson; Gogic, Dunne, Fraser; Strain, Flynn, Kiltie, O'Hara, Small; Main, Watt

Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor; Hatate, McGregor, O'Riley; Jota, Furuhashi, Maeda

We say: St Mirren 0-2 Celtic

Robinson may be able to call upon the autumnal victory for hope against the most daunting prospect in Scottish football, but it remains highly unlikely that St Mirren will emerge with anything from Sunday's rematch, let alone the club's first-ever set of consecutive home league wins against Celtic.


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