Struggling Kilmarnock will be searching for a much needed win this weekend when they welcome St Johnstone to Rugby Park.
Kilmarnock are coming off the back of losses to Falkirk and Dundee away from home by scorelines of 3-1 and 3-0 and are currently bottom of the league with the most goals conceded. Their last win came at home against fellow strugglers Motherwell. Kilmarnock will be hoping to make their home advantage count again this weekend.
They had chances last time out against Dundee, however, and on another day could have left Dens Park with more. Neil McCann stated after Kilmarnock’s last game against Dundee that his team “have so much promise.” Kilmarnock fans will be hoping to see that promise come to fruition against a St Johnstone side who are winless in their last three league games.
St Johnstone have enjoyed a solid return to the Premiership so far, despite their current winless run.
Simo Valakari’s side are currently 8th in the league with plenty of optimism surrounding them. Josh Campbell’s stoppage time header salvaged a point for the Saints against Motherwell at McDiarmid Park in their last league game.
Josh Fowler has proven that he can score goals at this level. The Englishman is currently sitting on six league goals – one behind top goalscorer Camilo Durán. Fowler’s goals account for just under half of all of St Johnstone’s league goals so far this season, so any success for the Saints at Rugby Park may hinge on his ability to find the net.
Last time out
These two met on the opening weekend of the new Premiership season and served up one of the games of the season so far. St Johnstone came back from 3-2 down to win 4-3 against Kilmarnock in a chaotic game in Perth.
Looking on to the rematch, Kilmarnock defender Robbie Deas told the media “I think we all hurt after the opening game.” Deas also issued a call for revenge against the Saints, stating that “we owe them one”.
What to expect
We already know that this fixture has the potential for lots of goals. With both teams searching for three points to break their winless runs, a scoreline similar to the last match between these two sides is entirely possible.
The Kilmarnock forwards have the potential to cause teams problems. Greg Kiltie, Joe Hugill and Tyreece John-Jules are all very capable of finding the net, despite not having their most productive starts to the season so far. Kilmarnock’s last win at home to Motherwell came courtesy of a Kiltie brace and a goal from John-Jules.
Josh Fowler is the clear player to watch for St Johnstone as he looks to get back on the scoresheet after two games without a goal. Fowler’s last goal came in St Johnstone’s 1-1 draw with Dundee United.
SNN Sports will be at Rugby Park on Saturday the 31st of October to bring you all the latest news and fan opinions surrounding Kilmarnock vs St Johnstone.
