Preview: St Mirren vs. Aberdeen - prediction, team news, lineups

St Mirren will be attempting to win their first game in the Scottish Premiership this Sunday when they host Aberdeen at The SMiSA Stadium.

Neither team is in terrific form, with the hosts just a point above the relegation zone while the Dons are without a victory in their last seven games.

Match preview

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St Mirren will be keen to turn their recent draws into a victory this weekend when they play Aberdeen as the search for their first win continues.

After a difficult start to the season that saw the Buddies only pick up one point from the first three games, the confidence has begun building within the team during recent performances.

While Jim Goodwin will still want more from his squad, they have now had a trio of draws consecutively, showcasing their defensive abilities during that time.

St Mirren have had two clean sheets across their past three games and despite the fact they sit below Aberdeen in the league table, they have actually conceded fewer goals so far this season.

The Buddies earned a 2-2 against high-flying Hibernian in their most recent outing, where an 88th-minute goal from Joe Shaughnessy stole the points away from their opponents as they refused to give up.

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That is the type of resilience that Goodwin will be wanting to see from his team consistently moving forward, especially since they are just one point above the relegation zone at the moment.

Despite the fact that Aberdeen are currently in midtable, they have now gone seven games in a row without a win, as their form has drastically suffered.

The Dons made a perfect start to the season where they won their opening two matches against Dundee United and Livingston, while they then drew their following couple of fixtures.

However, their most recent outings have seen them beaten twice, with Motherwell and St Johnstone earning three points against them, as they struggled defensively.

Stephen Glass has not seen his team keep a clean sheet since the opening day of the season, which is a cause for concern, while they have also been unable to score in their last two games, with the recent form seeing them slip down the table.

Team News

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St Mirren are without Greg Kiltie for the next 11 weeks due to a serious knee injury, but Ethan Erhahon did make his return to the team during the recent draw with Hibernian, coming off the bench after his suspension was served.

Dylan Reid also managed to maintain his spot in the team last weekend with the 16-year-old having proven himself to be mature enough to handle the Scottish Premiership.

Aberdeen have been without Matty Kennedy so far this season, which is set to continue this weekend as he is going to miss another two months of football due to a back problem that is troubling him.

He is not the only person in the squad with an injury to that area as Connor McLennan will not be able to play on Sunday due to having his own issue, while Marley Watkins is also expected to miss the match.

However, Glass will have Ryan Hedges available for the first time in six weeks after he suffered a hamstring injury at the start of the season.

Austin Samuels could find himself in the squad as he is due to be assessed on Friday ahead of the trip, but after not training throughout the week, he is more likely to be an option from the bench.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Shaughnessy, McCarthy, Fraser; Reid, Power, Ronan, Tanser, Millar; Brophy, McGrath

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Ramsay, Bates, McCrorie, McKenzie; Hedges, Ojo, Brown, Ferguson; Ramirez, Emmanuel-Thomas

We say: St Mirren 1-1 Aberdeen

Both Aberdeen and St Mirren are in need of a victory this weekend, with the hosts wanting to kickstart their season and the Dons hoping to get back on track.

However, with neither team being known for scoring goals and a lack of momentum behind each of them, this could end up being quite a tense draw.