ST Mirren vs Celtic

ST Mirren welcome Celtic to the SMISA Stadium in Paisley on Saturday evening in round six of the Scottish Premiership, with the visitors looking to build on a turbulent week of European action. Craig McLeish’s Buddies have made a promising start to the campaign, while Martin O’Neill’s side arrive having survived a Champions League scare before returning to domestic duty with a win.

Team News and Injury Latest

Celtic will again be without right‑back Alistair Johnston, who is sidelined for several weeks with yet another hamstring injury. Winger Jota remains unavailable despite returning to training after more than a year out, with this weekend’s trip coming too soon in his recovery. Kieran Tierney, suspended for both legs of the Champions League playoff against LASK, is back in contention and set to feature.

St Mirren’s key absentee is midfielder Killian Phillips. The Irishman is nursing a shin problem sustained in the Premier Sports Cup exit to Rangers earlier in the month and, according to McLeish, “probably going to maybe miss another week”. His absence was felt in the breathless 3‑3 draw with Motherwell, where the Buddies conceded a 93rd‑minute equaliser.

Celtic Form Guide

Celtic’s passage to the Champions League group stage was far from straightforward. They surrendered a 4‑0 first‑leg lead with a 5‑1 defeat away to LASK but clung on to a 5‑4 aggregate triumph. The squad then put that disappointment behind them with a 2‑0 home victory over Falkirk. Camilo Durán netted both goals, the second supplied by Tierney, to lift the mood at Parkhead.

St Mirren’s Solid Start Under McLeish

The Buddies collected seven points from their opening three league fixtures before the midweek round, with a recent 3‑3 thriller at home to Motherwell underlining their attacking intent. Trailing late on, they twice fought back, though a last‑gasp leveller from Jardell Kanga denied them maximum points. That resilience has been a hallmark of McLeish’s early tenure, even with Phillips unavailable.