St Johnstone vs Hearts Prediction: High flying Hearts to eke here

Eager to extend their notable winning streak and secure a spot in Europe, Hearts will travel to McDiarmid Park to take on St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night. In their previous matches, the Saints secured a narrow victory against Ross County, while the Jambos emerged victorious in a thrilling five-goal encounter against Dundee.

St Johnstone aims to build on their recent success in the Premiership, having secured a 0-1 victory against Ross County in their last outing. During that match, St Johnstone maintained 37% possession and registered 7 shots on goal, with 2 on target. Benjamin Mbunga Kimpioka (34') was the lone goal-scorer for St Johnstone, while Ross County had 12 attempts at goal, with 5 on target.

In the past 6 fixtures involving St Johnstone, fewer than three goals were scored in 5 of them. Looking at the goal distribution during this period, opposing teams scored a total of 5 goals, while St Johnstone managed 4.

Examining their recent records, St Johnstone has not secured a victory against Hearts in their last 5 league matches. However, they maintain an unbeaten streak in their previous 4 home league matches and have not won at home in their last 2 league encounters.

Hearts enter the upcoming match on the back of a 2-3 Premiership victory against Dundee in their recent outing. During that game, Hearts controlled 58% of the possession and recorded 18 shots on goal, with 6 on target. Alan Forrest (55') and Lawrence Shankland (79', 87') found the back of the net for Hearts, while Dundee managed 14 attempts on goal, with Jordan McGhee (26') and Lyall Cameron (59') scoring for them.

In their last 6 clashes, Hearts have accumulated a total of 14 goals, consistently scoring in each of those encounters. However, their defenders conceded 8 goals over the same period.

Looking at pre-match statistics, Hearts have not suffered a loss to St Johnstone in their last 2 away league matches against them. Additionally, Hearts are unbeaten in their previous 4 away league matches.

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:

Mitov; Olufunwa, McGowan, Considine, Robinson; Kucheriavyi, Smith, Carey, Gallacher; Clark, Kimpioka

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Clark; Lembikisa, Sibbick, Kent, Cochrane; Nieuwenhof, Baningime; Fraser, Vargas, Forrest; Shankland

St Johnstone has been on a fruitful unbeaten streak in the Premiership recently, but the upcoming match against Hearts on Wednesday night is anticipated to be their most challenging test in 2024 so far. Hearts have consistently scored at least twice in their last six matches, and it is expected that this trend will persist as Naismith's side secures another victory in the upcoming encounter.