St Mirren v Celtic: Midfield Battles in Paisley
St Mirren arrive at this under the lights, unbeaten and unbowed, but Craig McLeish’s team sheet tells a very different story.
The Saints manager is juggling absences in the one area you least want to be short against Celtic – the middle of the pitch. Killian Phillips is out with a shin injury, ruled unavailable for this one, with the club only able to look to next week for his return to light training on grass. Liam Donnelly’s abductor problem and Malik Dijksteel’s hamstring issue strip even more experience and bite from midfield.
It leaves McLeish light in the engine room for a match that already carries the feel of an early-season marker.
Long-term absentee Jonah Ayunga remains a major miss, his recovery still tracking towards January. So the attacking options must again be shuffled, and the structure built around those who are fit rather than those McLeish would ideally pick.
Jacob Chapman is expected to continue in goal, shielded by a reworked backline in which Alexandros Gogic and Henry Fieldson are set to feature. That defensive core will be asked to do plenty of heavy lifting if St Mirren are to keep pace with the league leaders.
Saints’ form: bruised, then bold
On paper, the situation looks grim. On the table, it looks anything but.
St Mirren sit just two points off the top after a sharp, unbeaten start to their league campaign, taking 10 points from their first four games. They were thrashed by Rangers in the League Cup, but that setback has been followed by a stubborn, streetwise response in the Premiership.
A wild 3-3 draw with Motherwell underlined their attacking threat and their flaws. The reaction was telling: a gritty 1-0 away win at Kilmarnock, the sort of narrow, disciplined victory that keeps you in a title conversation longer than many expect.
Now comes the real examination of that early momentum.
Celtic’s injury riddle at the back
Celtic arrive in Paisley with the table position and the swagger of champions-in-waiting, but Martin O’Neill’s defensive options are fraying.
Left-back is the problem zone. Kieran Tierney, Kasper Høgh and Callum Osmand are all out with a combination of thigh and ankle problems, stripping Celtic of natural balance on that flank. The situation worsens with Chelsea loanee Landon Emenalo not yet ready to debut after picking up an injury in training.
Alistair Johnston is also sidelined until October with a fresh knock, while Jota continues his recovery from a long-term knee issue. The cumulative effect is clear: Celtic’s back line is strong on paper, but stretched in reality.
Liam Scales is again expected to plug the gap at left-back, a familiar emergency solution rather than a long-term answer. Ahead of them, Camilo Durán is set to lead the line, carrying the scoring burden for a side that has not been shy in front of goal domestically.
There is some relief for O’Neill. Late-window signings Joël van den Berg and Jordan Lotomba have been cleared to play and could feature, injecting fresh legs and competition at a time when the squad badly needs both.
Hoops relentless at home, wounded in Europe
Domestically, Celtic have been ruthless.
Four games, four wins in the Premiership. Eleven goals scored, just two conceded. Aberdeen were swept aside 3-0, Falkirk edged out 2-1 in a tighter contest that still ended with the same outcome: three points, pressure maintained.
Their only bruise has come in Europe, an extra-time exit to LASK in UEFA Champions League qualifying that stung the club and support alike. But that disappointment has not yet bled into their league form. At home, they have looked organised, hungry and efficient.
The question now is whether that rhythm survives a tricky night in Paisley with a patched-up defence.
Predicted lineups
- St Mirren (expected): Chapman; Ramsay, Gogic, Fieldson, John; Nsio, Carr; Mochrie, Taylor, Kabia; Agrafiotis
- Celtic (expected): Sinisalo; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Scales; McGregor; Hassan, Nygren, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hyun-Jun; Duran
Where to watch
The match will be shown live, exclusively, on Sky Sports Football.
Celtic chase perfection. St Mirren chase respect – and maybe something far bigger. Which chase holds firm when the whistle blows in Paisley?
