St Johnstone vs Falkirk Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

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St Johnstone

vs

Falkirk

KickoffSaturday 9 January 2027, 3:00pm

VenueMcDiarmid Park

CompetitionScottish Premier League

Can St Johnstone keep their excellent home form going against a Falkirk side that has finally found their feet? That is the question sitting at the heart of this Scottish Premiership clash at McDiarmid Park. The Saints have looked like a team with real top flight credentials on their own turf, while the Bairns arrive with fresh confidence after snapping a painful winless run. There is genuine intrigue here, and the betting angles are interesting too.

Let us break it all down.

St Johnstone vs Falkirk Match Details

This Scottish Premiership matchday seven fixture takes place at McDiarmid Park in Perth, with St Johnstone hosting Falkirk in what shapes up as a pivotal early season clash for both clubs. The Saints sit seventh in the table with seven points from six outings, while Falkirk occupy tenth place with five points to their name. Both sides are keen to push up the standings, and with the table still taking shape in the early weeks of the campaign, three points here would carry real weight.

Team News

St Johnstone are in fairly good shape heading into this one, with only a single fitness concern to report. Falkirk, by contrast, are dealing with a much more significant absentee list that could hamper their options in the final third and across the pitch.

• Jamie Gullan (St Johnstone) has returned to training but is unlikely to be fit enough to feature here
• Aidan Nesbitt (Falkirk) is out injured
• Connor McLeod (Falkirk) is out injured
• Ethan Laidlaw (Falkirk) is out injured
• Joe Gardner (Falkirk) is out injured
• Finn Yeats (Falkirk) is out injured
• Keelan Adams (Falkirk) is out injured

Six absentees for John McGlynn is a serious headache. He will be working with a trimmed squad and will need his available players to step up. The good news for Falkirk is that Ben Krauhaus and Owen Eames both got on the scoresheet in the midweek win over Hearts, so morale in the attacking department should be positive.

Predicted Lineups

Simo Valakari has enough fit bodies to name a settled side, and with Josh Fowler in fine form this season, he will be the focal point up front. Valakari is unlikely to tinker too much given how well things have gone at home so far.

• St Johnstone: Steward; Todd, Finlayson, Diabate, Alic; McAlear, Holt; Campbell, Cotterill, Steven; Fowler

McGlynn faces a trickier selection puzzle with his injury list, but having got a winning result in midweek, he may well stick with an unchanged lineup and trust the players who delivered against Hearts to do so again.

• Falkirk: Bain; Strain, Neilson, Henderson, McCann; Barbrook, Spencer; Ross, Krauhaus, Eames; Murrell

Recent Form

St Johnstone came back up from the Championship last season having won the title by a commanding 11 points over Partick Thistle, and they hit the ground running in the Premiership with a brilliant 4-3 opening day win over Kilmarnock. Kai Fotheringham’s 80th minute winner that day set the tone for a side that clearly has belief in itself. Since then the wins have been harder to come by, with defeats to St Mirren, Hearts and Celtic, but you have to look at the context. All three losses were by a single goal, and Celtic away is about as tough as it gets in Scottish football. A draw with Dundee and a win over Hibs rounds out a picture of a team that is genuinely competitive at this level, not just making up the numbers.

At McDiarmid Park specifically, Valakari’s men have been formidable. Two wins from three home games, with their only loss coming against the reigning champions. That home record is something Falkirk will need to contend with, and history suggests it will not be easy.

Falkirk had a sixth place finish in their first season back in the Premiership last term, which was a genuinely impressive achievement, but this campaign has been a different story so far. No wins in their opening five Premiership matches, three defeats and two draws, and an early League Cup group stage exit made for a miserable start. The win over Hearts on Tuesday will have lifted spirits enormously and McGlynn will be desperate to see that momentum carry into this fixture rather than it being a one off.

Head-to-Head Record

Recent meetings at McDiarmid Park have not been kind to Falkirk. In their last four visits to Perth, the Bairns have lost three times and drawn once, with that solitary draw being the only time they have avoided defeat. That is a difficult record to shake off, and it adds an extra layer of pressure on a side that has only just rediscovered what winning feels like.

St Johnstone will be well aware of that psychological edge, and Valakari is exactly the type of manager who will use every available advantage to get his players motivated. Home turf, a strong recent head to head record, and the backing of the McDiarmid Park crowd. It all points in one direction.

Key Stats

• Josh Fowler has scored four goals in six Premiership appearances this season, making him one of the most productive strikers in the division at this early stage
• St Johnstone have won two of their three home Premiership games this term, with their only home defeat coming against Celtic
• Falkirk went five Premiership games without a win to open the season and have lost three of their last four visits to McDiarmid Park

St Johnstone vs Falkirk Betting Tips

The overall picture here is fairly clear. St Johnstone are the stronger side at home, they have the better form, they have the fresher squad, and Falkirk’s absentee list is a real concern. The Bairns have something to build on after Tuesday, but the evidence suggests this is too tough an ask on the road. Here is how I am approaching the individual markets.

Corners Prediction

St Johnstone are likely to dominate possession on home turf and push Falkirk back for long spells. With six Falkirk players unavailable, their defensive shape may be stretched at times, which typically generates corners as teams push wide to find a way through. I would expect a decent volume of set pieces, and backing over 9.5 corners looks a reasonable shout in a game where the home side will be doing plenty of probing.

Correct Score Prediction

A 2-1 to St Johnstone feels right. Falkirk showed against Hearts that they have goals in them with Krauhaus and Eames both finding the net, so shutting them out entirely seems optimistic. But St Johnstone have the quality to shade a competitive game, and Fowler’s form makes him a constant threat. Two goals for the Saints and one for the visitors covers both sides’ recent tendencies nicely.

First Goalscorer Prediction

Josh Fowler is the standout pick here. Four goals in six league games already this season, operating as the focal point of a St Johnstone attack that loves to play on the front foot at home. He is in form, he is the main man, and he will be central to everything the Saints try to do going forward. The value in backing him to open the scoring is genuine.

Both Teams To Score (BTTS) Prediction

Yes, backing both teams to score looks sensible here. Falkirk are not without attacking quality even with their injury issues, and they proved that against Hearts in midweek. St Johnstone have conceded in several of their Premiership games this term too, so their backline is not completely watertight. Both teams finding the net in what should be an open and competitive match feels like the likeliest outcome.

Over and Under Goals Prediction

Over 2.5 goals gets the nod. St Johnstone’s opening day 4-3 win set the tone for a side that is not shy of a goal, and while games have tightened up since then, the attacking quality on both sides points to a game with at least three goals. Falkirk’s midweek win was also a 2-1, and given the attacking intent both managers tend to show, backing goals looks smarter than backing a low scoring affair.

Cards Prediction

A mid table Scottish Premiership fixture between two physically committed sides tends to produce a few bookings, and with Falkirk under pressure and chasing the game at points, expect some cynical fouls in the middle of the park. Backing over 3.5 cards at a venue where the home side like to press and the visitors have had a fractious start to the season seems reasonable. A couple of yellows for midfield fouls would not surprise anyone watching this one.

Bet Builder Tip

These three selections complement each other perfectly: a St Johnstone win with both sides scoring and their top scorer breaking the deadlock fits the narrative of this game from every angle.

Final Match Prediction

St Johnstone have done enough in their home matches this season to earn genuine respect as a top flight outfit, and this looks like a fixture that sets up well for them. Falkirk are not without quality, the win over Hearts proved that, but six absentees, a poor record at McDiarmid Park, and a home side in decent nick makes it very difficult to see the Bairns leaving Perth with anything.

Fowler to cause problems, St Johnstone to control large portions of the game, and Falkirk to nick one late on but ultimately fall short. Saints win 2-1, and Valakari’s men continue to prove they belong at this level.

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