Preview: Dundee vs. St Johnstone - prediction, team news, lineups

After a crucial victory at the weekend Dundee have the potential to escape the relegation zone with another in midweek as they now sit just two points behind their opponents on Wednesday night.

On the other hand St Johnstone shall be attempting to stop their recent run of form which has seen them go three games in a row without a win.

Match preview

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Dundee secured an important three points at the weekend when they faced Motherwell in a result that puts them in a strong position heading into the midweek fixtures.

The Dark Blues were dominant in their performance, winning the game 3-0 thanks to first-half goals from Luke McCowan and Danny Mullen which were followed by one from Ryan Sweeney in the second half.

They are now level on points with Livingston, while they sit just two behind St Johnstone, meaning that a victory on Wednesday would take them out of the bottom two and potentially as high as eighth.

While they have struggled defensively this season, having conceded 27 goals so far, the squad will have taken confidence from the clean sheet they were able to secure against Motherwell.

On top of that, their opponents on Wednesday night are the lowest-scoring team in the division, having failed to hit double digits yet in terms of their attacking output.

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This is a cause for concern for Callum Davidson who has witnessed his team slip down the SPL table as of late with several poor performances and discipline problems.

St Johnstone have finished two of their last three matches with 10 men and that was the case at the weekend when they suffered a 2-1 loss against Hibernian.

The Saints took the lead in the game via a Ryan Porteous own goal, but that was quickly followed up by a red card to Craig Bryson just before half time.

Davidson's men nearly managed to hold on to the result, but they conceded two late goals in the final 10 minutes of the game to drop all three points.

However, St Johnstone will remember that they defeated Dundee 3-1 when they met earlier this season, which is a result they could do with repeating to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

Team News

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Dundee will not have Jordan McGhee for the foreseeable future as he is set to undergo surgery on a knee issue that has been causing him problems as of late.

There are also concerns for Max Anderson who had to be replaced against Motherwell, which is something that could impact the team again in midweek.

St Johnstone will be without Bryson on Wednesday due to a red card, which will force at least one change to the starting XI, with Liam Craig being an option for Davidson.

Glenn Middleton is also going to be unavailable for the Saints due to his injury problems, but the club can welcome back Christopher Kane after his suspension was lifted.

Dundee possible starting lineup:
Legzdins; Kerr, Ashcroft, Sweeney, Marshall; McMullan, Adam, McCowan, Elliot, McGowan; Mullen

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Clark; Dendoncker, Gordon, McCart; Rooney, Davidson, Craig, Booth; O'Halloran, Crawford; Kane

We say: Dundee 2-0 St Johnstone

Considering the confidence Dundee will have gained from their victory at the weekend, they should be able to cause a threat again on Wednesday night.

With St Johnstone's lack of goals this season, this could be the night that The Dark Blues can escape the relegation zone.

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