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St Johnstone logo
Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 1
Jul 30, 2022 at 3pm UK
McDiarmid Park
Hibs logo

St Johnstone
0 - 1
Hibernian


Wright (55'), MacPherson (89')
Davidson (58')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Campbell (90')
Melkersen (29'), Henderson (71'), Cabraja (81'), Bushiri (90+4')

Preview: St Johnstone vs. Hibernian - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash between St Johnstone and Hibernian, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

After St Johnstone narrowly avoided relegation last season, the squad will be keen to kickstart the new campaign with three points on Saturday when they face Hibernian.

The Hibees have had mixed results throughout their pre-season, including in the Scottish League Cup qualification group, which they now need to improve upon.


Match preview

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson remonstrates on April 9, 2022© Reuters

St Johnstone found themselves in a relation battle throughout the entire 2021-22 campaign, but they ended up having enough to secure their safety at the very end.

The Saints needed to compete in the Scottish Premiership playoffs first though, as they defeated Inverness 6-2 on aggregate to secure their place in the top flight for another season.

Callum Davidson will be keen for his squad not to find themselves in that position once again, but to do that they will need to start the season in a much stronger manner.

St Johnstone have not been in the best form as of late, losing their first two Scottish League Cup group games, but they were able to bounce back from that with two improved performances.

The Saints followed up a win against Elgin City by defeating Ayr 1-0 in their most recent match following an early goal from Graham Carey, but it was not enough to push them into the knockout phase.

Hibernian's Elias Melkersen in action with Hearts' Toby Sibbick on April 16, 2022© Reuters

The visitors have also been inconsistent with their performances at the start of this new season, which is something that they will want to put right on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership.

Hibernian were beaten twice in the Scottish League Cup qualification group, with Falkirk and Greenock Morton handing them defeats without the Hibees even scoring a single goal.

Lee Johnson did see his team defeat Clyde and Bonnyrigg Rose in the same phase of the competition though, and they managed to score nine times in those two games, proving they do have attacking qualities.

Last season they managed 41 goals throughout the campaign, which helped them to finish in eighth place, but it was a difficult second half of the campaign that led to them slipping that far.

Prior to the turn of the year Hibernian had impressed with their performances, and that is something that Johnson will be keen to see return this time around.

St Johnstone form (all competitions):
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • W

Hibernian form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • W


Team News

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson pictured on August 5, 2021© Reuters

Alex Mitchell and goalkeeper Remi Matthews both joined St Johnstone on season-long loan moves recently and will certainly be in contention to play on Saturday.

Carey will also be looking to feature after he scored the winner in their most recent outing, while Stephen May should remain an ever-present part of their squad.

Jair Tavares is one of the new faces in the Hibernian squad this season, but considering the fact he does not have too many minutes under his belt in the preseason, it could be a place on the bench for him.

Meanwhile, the likes of Ryan Porteous, Joe Newell, and Christian Doidge should all be able to retain their places in the starting lineup.

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Matthews; Brown, Cleary, Considine; Wright, MacPherson, Hallberg, Montgomery; Carey, Murphy; May

Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Cadden, Porteous, Bushiri, Stevenson; Henderson, Newell, Kenneh, McGeady; Doidge, Melkersen


SM words green background

We say: St Johnstone 1-2 Hibernian

St Johnstone have the home advantage for the first match of the season, which is something that they will be aiming to make the most of when it comes to Saturday's fixture.

Despite that, Hibernian will be the favourites heading into the match due to their performances throughout last season, and that is something that should lead to them securing three points to start the campaign.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data


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Game History

How you voted: St Johnstone vs Hibernian

St Johnstone
33.3%
Draw
17.6%
Hibernian
49.0%
51
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1Celtic1110103132831
2Aberdeen11101024101431
3RangersRangers11713168822
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd125431813519
5Motherwell116141514119
6St Mirren134361722-515
7Dundee123361824-612
8Kilmarnock123361525-1012
9Ross County132651021-1112
10St Johnstone133191627-1110
11Hearts132381420-69
12Hibernian121561118-78


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