St Johnstone v Hibs: TV info; kick-off time; team news; form guide; odds

TV and match info

The match at McDiarmid Park kicks off at 3pm. The SPFL no longer permits live streaming inside the UK & Ireland. BBC Scotland’s Sportscene will show highlights at 7.30pm on Saturday.

Team news

Lee Johnson has been boosted by the availability of new signings Marijan Čabraja and Élie Youan but is without Aiden McGeady, who faces up to 12 weeks on the sidelines after suffering a recurrence of his medial ligament issue. Paul Hanlon and Demi Mitchell are back in training but are not expected to be involved while Kyle Magennis, Kevin Nisbet, and Lewis Stevenson remain sidelined.

Saints could hand debuts to new keeper Remi Matthews, midfielders Graham Carey and William Sandford and former Hibs pair Jamie Murphy and Drey Wright.

Form guide

Hibs have been poor so far. The Premier Sports Cup exit was a sore one, losing to Falkirk and failing to beat Morton exacerbated by an admin error. It’s not clear what the best XI is yet after a big overhaul in the summer.

Like Hibs, Saints failed to quality despite ending the group stage by beating Ayr United 1-0. They drew with Queen of the South and Annan Athletic, losing both shoot-outs. Many pundits are tipping them for relegation.

Head-to-head

Hibs won three and drew one of the four meetings last season, turning round a poor record from 2020/21 when Saints won four of six, including the League Cup semi-final and Scottish Cup final.

Match officials

Euan Anderson is the man in the middle.

Manager thoughts

Lee Johnson: “Having Marijan and Élie available is a big boost. It gives us balance. Do I feel confident in them starting and finishing 90 minutes? Absolutely.

“Everything has been building up to this game and we want to come out really bright.”

Callum Davidson: “We’ve got a really good attacking threat now, and good balance as well. It’s going to be a really tough league. A lot of teams have spent money this season. It’s going to be really competitive, we have to make sure we’re in there fighting."

Bookies’ odds

Hibs are slight favourites with McBookie, who offer 11/8 for an away win, 11/5 for a home win and 21/10 for the draw.