Aiming to continue their unbeaten start to the 2024-25 season, Dundee will play host to St Mirren at the Kilmac Stadium at Dens Park on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership.
The hosts are fourth in the division with five points from three outings, while the visitors are eighth with three points from their first three league fixtures.
Match preview
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Dundee have enjoyed a fantastic last two seasons in Scottish football, being promoted as champions of the Scottish Championship in 2022-23 with 63 points from 36 matches before recording an outstanding sixth-placed finish in their first season back in the top flight last term.
Gary Bowyer shockingly departed the club after leading the club to the Championship title, with the board citing a need for 'certainty' ahead of their return to the Premiership, leading to Tony Docherty eventually being hired.
Dundee initially struggled under their new boss, winning just one of their first eight league matches, but they soon found their feet under Docherty and climbed the standings to finish sixth in the pre-split table.
The Dee faced difficulties in their post-split fixtures, only taking one point from the five matches thanks to a draw on the final day, marking a disappointing end to the season.
Docherty's men were vastly improved throughout their pre-season preparations, winning three and drawing one, and that positive form has continued into the new campaign, remaining unbeaten after eight games across all competitions.
Dundee will be aiming to maintain that unbeaten start on Saturday when they face St Mirren, though they have lost six of the last seven meetings in all competitions.
Having finished in the top half of the table for each of the last two years, their only top-half finishes since returning to the division ahead of 2018-19, St Mirren had reason to be optimistic ahead of this campaign.
Steve Robinson's men got off to a good start to the 2024-25 season, winning their UEFA Europa Conference League second-round tie 4-1 on aggregate before beating Hibernian in the opening match of the Scottish Premiership.
However, that victory was their last in all competitions, since going on to lose 4-2 on aggregate to Brann in the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League, suffering league defeats to Aberdeen and Celtic, and losing to Dundee United in the Scottish League Cup.
St Mirren now head into this game on the back of four successive defeats, including failing to score in either of their last two matches, something Robinson will be desperate to address with a win here.
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Team News
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Dundee are expected to be without Charlie Reilly and Clark Robertson until September due to hamstring injuries, while Joe Shaughnessy is also ruled out until September with a knee injury.
Scott Tiffoney has scored in all of Dundee's last three outings, and the attacker is likely to start alongside Simon Murray and Sebastian Palmer-Houlden.
The visitors are unable to call upon the services of Conor McMenamin (knee) and Greg Kiltie (ankle) until October due to injury problems.
Toyosi Olusanya is St Mirren's top scorer so far this season with three goals, but the forward has failed to hit the net in any of his last three appearances, a run the striker will be aiming to end here.
Dundee possible starting lineup:
McCracken; McGhee, Portales, Koumetio, Larkeche; Cameron, Sylla, McCowan; Palmer-Houlden, Murray, Tiffoney
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Balcombe; Fraser, Iacovitti, Taylor; Rooney, Phillips, O'Hara, Gogic, Brown; Olusanya, Ayunga
We say: Dundee 2-1 St Mirren
Dundee have struggled in this fixture in recent years but they come into this game in much better form than their visitors, who have lost all of their last four matches, suggesting a win for the hosts.
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Ellis Stevens
