Out-of-form St Mirren are set to host winless Hearts at The Smisa Stadium on Saturday afternoon for matchday six of the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership season.
The hosts are seventh but without a win in seven across all competitions, while the visitors sit at the foot of the table with just one point from five outings.
Match preview
St Mirren have enjoyed a brilliant climb up the Scottish Premiership standings since returning to the division as champions of the second tier in 2017-18.
They narrowly stayed in the top flight in 2019-19 as they beat Dundee United on penalties in the relegation playoff final after a 1-1 draw over two legs, before placing ninth and six points above the drop zone in the subsequent year.
The Buddies barely missed out on a place in the championship round in 2020-21 as they placed in seventh in the pre-split standings, only behind St Johnstone on goal difference after finishing level on 40 points.
A minor setback occurred in 2021-22 when they finished ninth, but successive improvements ensued, with the team placing sixth and, most recently, fifth in the subsequent two terms.
That fifth-placed finish ended St Mirren's 36-year European drought by earning them a place in the Europa Conference League qualifiers, but they were eliminated in the third round after a 4-2 aggregate defeat to SK Brann, having previously beaten Valur Reykjavik in the second round.
Their first-leg draw with Brann, which needed a 90th-minute equalizer, has coincided with a troubling collapse by the Buddies, who are now on a seven-game winless streak.
Stephen Robinson, who has been in charge since February 2022, is likely feeling the pressure due to their current poor form, making him eager to secure a win in this match.
St Mirren have a far from desirable record against Hearts though, winning just two of their last 11 Scottish Premiership meetings, as well as just one top-flight win in their last seven encounters at The Smisa Stadium.
The visitors will be counting on that positive record to gain any advantage in Saturday's matchup, as Steven Naismith's side are currently on a dismal 13-game winless streak across all competitions, including losses in their last seven matches.
That dreadful run is a major surprise, given that Hearts have finished third twice and fourth once in the three seasons since their return to the top flight in 2021-22.
The Jambos are one of only two teams yet to win a Scottish Premiership fixture, alongside Kilmarnock, and have scored the fewest goals with just two and conceded nine, the joint-third highest.
Unbelievably, their four successive league defeats mean they have already lost more games than in their previous 23 fixtures, where they won 13, drew seven, and lost just three.
Naismith will be aiming to avoid a fifth consecutive Scottish Premiership loss on Saturday, a feat they haven't recorded since April 2023, but they will need to make significant improvements to have any chance of securing all three points.
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Team News
Robinson could be facing up to four injury concerns for their match against Hearts, with Alex Iacovitti, Conor McMenamin, and Greg Kiltie definitely set to miss out.
Toyosi Olusanya, who has three league goals in five appearances this term, could also be unavailable after the striker was substituted off in the 46th minute of their draw with Kilmarnock due to an injury.
Elsewhere, a similar side that has been named in their last two outings, both of which have ended all square, could be fielded in Saturday's fixture.
As for Hearts, Calem Nieuwenhof will miss out with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the team since July, while Beni Baningime could also be ruled out after coming off in the last match with an injury.
Lawrence Shankland scored 59 goals across the past two campaigns for Hearts, but the striker is unbelievably yet to hit the net after seven appearances this term, something he will look to address in this match.
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Balcombe; Fraser, Gogic, Taylor; Rooney, Idowu, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, Tanser; Scott, Mandron
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Kingsley, Halkett, Rowles; Taylor, Boateng, Dhanda, Grant, Penrice; Shankland, Vargas
We say: St Mirren 1-1 Hearts
Neither side is in great stead heading into this game, both currently enduring lengthy winless spells across all competitions.
While St Mirren have fared better than the visitors this term, Hearts have an undeniably positive record in this fixture, suggesting that this match is likely to end in a draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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