St Mirren Faces Off Against Celtic in Key Scottish Premiership Clash

PAISLEY, Scotland – St Mirren will host Celtic in a crucial Scottish Premiership clash on Saturday, March 1, at the Smisa Stadium, hoping to break into the top six as they face the league leaders.

The match is set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. local time, with St Mirren currently positioned seventh in the standings, just two points behind sixth-placed Hearts. Celtic, on the other hand, enjoys a comfortable 13-point lead at the top of the table.

St Mirren aims to replicate their successful streak from the last two seasons, where they finished sixth in 2022-23 and fifth in 2023-24. However, their journey this season has been rocky; they started weakly, exiting the UEFA Conference League in the qualifiers and winning only two of their first ten league matches.

Despite a revival with six wins in their next nine games, the Saints have struggled recently, securing just two victories in their last nine outings. A win against Celtic could propel them into the top six, depending on results from other matches.

Celtic has been dominant this season, with a record of 23 wins, three draws, and just two losses across 28 league matches. Under manager Brendan Rodgers, they secured the Scottish League Cup earlier in the season and remain contenders for the Scottish FA Cup.

However, recent weeks have posed challenges for Celtic, who lost three of their last nine games, including their elimination from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich. They demonstrated resilience in their last match, thrashing Aberdeen 5-1, which should instill confidence going into this match.

St Mirren will be missing key players due to injuries, including [Name of injured players] who are sidelined with various issues. Celtic’s squad will also be impacted, as [Name of injured Celtic players] are expected to miss the matchup, including the long-term absentees and any potential doubts.

With both teams in need of victory for different reasons, expectations suggest the match may favor Celtic, who have not lost to St Mirren since September 2022. Nevertheless, St Mirren will have their home fans behind them, potentially swaying the outcome.

St Mirren’s likely lineup might include: Hemming; Fraser, Gogic, Taylor; Alebiousu, Phillips, Boyd-Munce, O’Hara, John; Olusanya, Mandron. Celtic may field: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Schlupp; Hatate, McGregor, Engels; Kuhn, Maeda, Jota.