How to watch St Johnstone v Hearts: Stream details, team news, betting odds

Hearts take on St Johnstone in the cinch Premiership on Saturday looking to end a long unwanted record of failing to win at McDiarmid Park.

The last time they were victorious on a trip to Perth, Paulo Sergio was manager and the team were on the road to winning the 2012 Scottish Cup. The last league victory goes back two years further to when Ryan Stevenson and Kevin Kyle were on the scoresheet for Jim Jefferies’ men.

Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson has watched his side fail to find victory inside 90 minutes in each of the last four games, scoring one goal across that stretch, but hopes a couple of days rest for the players will shake them back into life for this away trip.

Where and when?

Andy Halliday and St Johnstone's James Brown during Hearts' draw at McDiarmid Park earlier in the season. Picture: SNS

McDiarmid Park, Perth. Saturday, February 19. 3pm kick-off.

How to watch

There are still tickets available for away fans and can be purchased via St Johnstone’s website. For those who wish to watch at home, a live stream is available for £17.50 through St Johnstone’s pay-per-view service.

Team news

Peter Haring is good to go after suffering a head knock against Livingston last weekend. Craig Halkett remains sidelined with a hamstring problem.

Zander Clark, Callum Hendry and Melker Hallberg were all forced off for St Johnstone during the 1-1 draw at Pittodrie in midweek with calf issues, while Callum Booth also hurt his groin during the game. Clark and Booth are rated at 50-50 though Hendry and Hallberg are expected to recover in time. Cammy MacPherson is expected to miss out with a shoulder injury.

Nadir Ciftci and Michael O’Halloran are back in the squad after returning to full-time training this week. Shaun Rooney and Craig Bryson won’t be available until March.

Chris Kane and David Wotherspoon are out for the rest of the campaign.

Referee

Hearts have yet to encounter Grant Irvine this season. The last time they saw the official in charge of a match was the 3-0 win over Alloa Athletic early last season. The whistler has oversaw two St Johnstone matches: the 1-0 win at Tannadice and 3-0 home defeat to Livingston, both in October.

Head to head

Hearts haven’t won at McDiarmid Park since the 2-1 extra-time win in the Scottish Cup back in 2012. They haven’t emerged victorious from Perth in a league game since Ryan Stevenson and Kevin Kyle were on the scoresheet for Jim Jefferies’ side in 2010.

Robbie Neilson’s men won the most recent match with Josh Ginnelly scoring twice in a 2-0 victory at Tynecastle. The speedy winger also scored in the 1-1 draw at McDiarmid earlier in the campaign.

What the manager said

“My squad is being tested just now – it’s been tested all season. But we’ve brought players into the club who are of a good standard and hopefully we’ll put in another performance on Saturday.” (Saints boss Callum Davidson)

"It's been a while since we had a full week because we've had four midweeks on the bounce so it's been good to get a wee bit of preparation and proper training because previously it's just been game-recover-game-recover. t's been good to have time on the training pitch to work on how we want to play, all the kind of basic principles.” (Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson)

What the bookies say

St Johnstone 14/5, Hearts 17/20, Draw 23/10 (odds courtesy of Bet365)

Message from the editor

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