'Forget the Gorgie Boys' wretched record in Perth': Journalists' predictions for St Johnstone v Hearts

Our online team try to predict the result as Hearts travel to St Johnstone looking to register consecutive victories for the first time in the league since February 2019.
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Mark Atkinson: Forget the Gorgie Boys' wretched record in Perth ... with the momentum of Sunday's win over Rangers allied to the fact that St Johnstone are not the force of old, I fancy Hearts to take all three points here. Liam Boyce and Steven Naismith will prove too much of a handful for a Saints defence that rarely keeps the door shut for 90 minutes. Prediction: St Johnstone 0-2 Hearts.

Anthony Brown: St Johnstone have lost only two of their last nine matches so will provide a stern test to resurgent Hearts. The Tynecastle side have won only one away league game in the last year and it remains to be seen if the impressive form they have shown in recent home games under Daniel Stendel can be transferred to away matches. The dual presence of new striker Boyce and fit-again captain Naismith significantly enhances that prospect, however. Prediction: St Johnstone 1 Hearts 2

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Neil McGlade: Hearts don't fare well in Perth. The 1-0 defeat to Saints at McDiarmid Park at the end of October was Levein's last in charge as manager. They head north this weekend in a worse position in the league than they were three months ago however, they are a completely different animal under Stendel. The Jambos will simply have too much for St Johnstone's porous defence which will see them register back-to-back wins and lift them off the foot of the table. Prediction: Hearts win.

Hearts lost to St Johnstone in Daniel Stendel's first match as manager. Picture: SNSHearts lost to St Johnstone in Daniel Stendel's first match as manager. Picture: SNS
Hearts lost to St Johnstone in Daniel Stendel's first match as manager. Picture: SNS
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Partick McPartlin: McDiarmid Park has been to Hearts what Kryptonite is to Superman, but you'd imagine that might well change this weekend. Stendel's acquisitions of Boyce and Toby Sibbick made a noticeable difference in the win over Rangers, and with key players such as John Souttar and Naismith back, fit and eager to make up for lost time, the onus is on the visitors to build on their fantastic win from last week. With Hamilton hosting Celtic on Sunday, Hearts have a great chance to leapfrog Accies and depending on results may even jump above St Mirren. Prediction: Hard-fought Hearts win

Joel Sked: This will be a bigger test than Rangers. Not in terms of the opposition but what it will tell us about Hearts under Stendel. A similarly fast, 100mph performance at a ground which has proved very tricky for the team for years will show that a corner has truly been turned. Tommy Wright's side are missing key players, while they have lost Matty Kennedy. Stendel's first game was a defeat to Saints at a dreary Tynecastle. But there is a much more positive feeling around the club now and fans will travel with excitement. Prediction: Hearts win by two goals.

Craig Fowler: I really wanted to predict a Hearts victory. In fact, in The Terrace Podcast predictions I have predicted a Hearts win. But then every one of my colleagues here backed the Gorgie Boys to emerge victorious from Saturday's trip to Perth and that makes me nervous. Better Hearts teams than the current one have gone to McDiarmid Park in the last 10 years and failed to find victory, and we've yet to see evidence that the performance on display in the Aberdeen and Rangers matches can be replicated away from Tynecastle. Prediction: Draw