Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Scottish Premiership clash between St Mirren and Hamilton Academical, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

St Mirren head into their Scottish Premiership encounter with Hamilton Academical on Wednesday evening, looking to win back-to-back top-flight matches against the visitors for the first time since December 2008.

Meanwhile, the Accies have picked up four points from their last two matches and will be hoping to secure their fifth away victory on the road this season.

Match preview

St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin pictured on August 9, 2020 © Reuters

St Mirren drew a blank for the second consecutive game as their 4-0 thrashing by Celtic in midweek was followed by a goalless draw away at Aberdeen last weekend.

The last time they went three games without a Scottish Premiership goal was back in October 2019, a run which included a goalless draw with this week's opponents Hamilton.

Despite drawing at Pittodrie, head coach Jim Goodwin – who this week signed a new deal with the club until June 2024 – was pleased with the "professional performance" from his team, who are now 12 points behind the Dons in fourth with a game in hand.

Goodwin will be hoping that his side can bounce back and replicate recent performances, such as the 5-1 demolition of Dundee United and the 2-1 victory over Celtic last month, as they aim to finish inside the top six.

St Mirren have alternated between a draw and victory in their last six league meetings against Hamilton, winning their most recent encounter 1-0 in August of this season.

Claiming all three points on Wednesday would see the Saints move three points behind Livingston in fifth, who they face on Saturday.

Hamilton Academical manager Brian Rice pictured in August 2020 © Reuters

Hamilton claimed their third successive league victory over Motherwell this campaign as they sealed a 4-1 win away from home last weekend.

Goals from Bruce Anderson, Ross Callachan and Marios Ogkmpoe gave the visitors a commanding lead after just 31 minutes with the Steelmen reduced to 10 men before the second goal.

David Moyo confirmed the victory midway through the second half, handing Brian Rice's side all three points and moving them off the bottom of the table.

The Accies have up to two games in hand on the sides currently in the bottom five with them, and after impressive results against both Motherwell and Rangers last week, Rice's men will now have belief that they can survive the drop.

A strike from Ilkay Durmus in a 1-1 draw with St Mirren in February last season has been the only goal scored by Hamilton in their last five league games against them.

Victory on Wednesday would see the Accies win back-to-back league matches for the first time since March 2020 and would also move them out of the bottom two for the first time since September.

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form: WWLWLD

Hamilton Academical Scottish Premiership form: LDLLDW

Team News

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin pictured in August 2020 © Reuters

St Mirren's injury concerns show no sign of abating with Goodwin confirming that it is unlikely Eamonn Brophy will play again this season, as the striker is suffering with a stress fracture in his foot, an injury he was unknowingly playing with for the past few weeks.

Midfielder Jamie McGrath (shoulder) as well as strikers Kristian Dennis (Achilles tendon) and Collin Quaner (knee) are also ruled out with injuries.

Jonathan Obika, who started on the bench against Aberdeen, could be recalled to the starting XI to replace Dylan Connolly.

Hamilton are still without David Templeton (groin) and Lewis Smith (hamstring), who are both suffering with injuries.

Callachan – who has been directly involved in 11 Scottish Premiership goals this season, seven more than any other Hamilton player – is expected to start once again in midfield alongside Hakeem Odoffin and Charlie Trafford.

Rice could name the same starting lineup for the third successive game, which would see the Accies set up with a 3-4-1-2 formation.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Tait; Flynn, Doyle-Hayes, Erhahon, Durmus; Obika, Erwin

Hamilton Academical possible starting lineup:
Fulton; Hamilton, A. Martin, Easton; Hodson, Odoffin, Trafford, McMann; Callachan; Anderson, Ogkmpoe

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We say: St Mirren 1-1 Hamilton Academical

Each of the last six meetings between St Mirren and Hamilton have seen no more than two goals scored by either team, with Hamilton only finding the net twice in this period.

The visitors will take confidence from last week's victory into Wednesday's match, but the hosts are likely to make it difficult for the Accies, which could see a draw played out in Paisley.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win 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.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a St Mirren win with a probability of 37.68%. A win for Hamilton Academical had a probability of 34.17% and a draw had a probability of 28.2%.

The most likely scoreline for a St Mirren win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.7%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.91%) and 2-0 (7.02%). The likeliest Hamilton Academical win was 0-1 (11%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.19%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.2% likelihood.