Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Scottish Premiership match.
This weekend features just two fixtures in the 11th round of the Premiership, and one will take place in Perth, where two clubs defeated in the last round will battle for a result.
St. Johnstone
The appointment of Simo Valakari has indeed benefited St. Johnstone. After a comprehensive loss at Ibrox against Rangers with a scoreline of 0:2 (8-21(6) in shots, 0.34-1.57 in xG), St. Johnstone immediately won two consecutive matches. First, they defeated Ross County (3:0) at home and then secured a victory away against Dundee (2:1). Both are direct competitors in the fight for survival. A defeat in their last game against St. Mirren (1:3) worsened St. Johnstone's standing, as they were overtaken by St. Mirren.
Hearts
Hearts are another rival of St. Johnstone near the bottom of the table. They are still at the bottom of the standings. It seemed that a thumping victory over St. Mirren (4:0) and a solid win against Omonia (0:2) in the Conference League would signify a recovery with the new manager's arrival, but it hasn’t turned out that way. In the past week, they dropped points twice: a draw away against Hibernian (1:1) and, more worryingly, a home defeat to Kilmarnock (1:2). Now they are on the road again.
St. Johnstone vs Hearts Prediction
Hearts have beaten St. Johnstone six times in a row over the last two seasons, with four of those wins coming with clean sheets, but looking at their recent matches doesn't inspire the same confidence for another success. They salvaged a point late against Hibernian and lost to Kilmarnock after leading. A double chance on St. Johnstone seems reasonable as they have truly transformed.
