St Mirren v Celtic: Midfield Battle in Paisley

St Mirren arrive at this under the lights, unbeaten and unbowed, but Craig McLeish’s team sheet tells a very different story.

The Saints are flying in the league – ten points from four, just two off the top – yet the heart of McLeish’s side has been ripped out. The midfield, usually the engine of their aggression and control, has been stripped by injury on the eve of the champions’ visit.

Killian Phillips is the latest to drop out, ruled out with a shin injury. The club expects him back on the grass next week, but that is no use to McLeish when Celtic roll into town tonight. Liam Donnelly, a key presence with and without the ball, is also missing as he works back from an abductor problem. Malik Dijksteel’s hamstring issue keeps him out as well, leaving St Mirren light in the very area where they need to stand firm.

It does not stop there. Jonah Ayunga, sidelined long term, remains a major absentee, his recovery timetable already stretching into January. For a squad trying to stay in the title conversation, that’s a sizeable hole in the attacking options.

So McLeish reshapes. Jacob Chapman is expected to keep his place in goal, protected by a back line that should feature Alexandros Gogic and Henry Fieldson. Around them, the Saints will have to improvise and scrap, relying on structure and spirit to cover for the missing legs and lungs in midfield.

They have done it before. After being thumped in the League Cup by Rangers, St Mirren steadied themselves with a wild 3-3 draw against Motherwell and then a gritty 1-0 win away to Kilmarnock. That response has kept them on the shoulders of the leaders. Now comes the real test: can a patched‑up side keep pace with a relentless Celtic?

Celtic’s own crisis – this time at the back

Across the technical area, Martin O’Neill has problems of his own. Celtic sit top of the Scottish Premiership with a perfect domestic record and an 11-2 goal difference, but the league leaders arrive in Paisley with their left side held together by tape and hope.

Left-back has turned into a full-blown headache. Kieran Tierney, Kasper Høgh and Callum Osmand are all out, dealing with a mix of thigh strains and ankle trouble. The one man who might have eased the strain, Chelsea loanee Landon Emenalo, has picked up a training knock and is not ready to make his debut.

Alistair Johnston is another confirmed absentee until October after a fresh injury blow, while Jota continues his long rehabilitation from a serious knee problem. For a club that prides itself on depth, the defensive absences are starting to bite.

So Liam Scales is set to plug the gap at left-back again, asked to lock down his flank and still offer something going forward. Ahead of him, Camilo Durán is expected to lead the line, the focal point of an attack that has swept aside Aberdeen 3-0 and edged Falkirk 2-1 in recent league outings.

Celtic did suffer a jolt in Europe, bowing out of UEFA Champions League qualifying after extra time against LASK. Domestically, though, they have not blinked: four wins from four, top of the table, still the standard everyone else is chasing.

There is at least one shaft of light for O’Neill. Late-window arrivals Joël van den Berg and Jordan Lotomba have both been cleared to play and could feature, offering fresh legs and a different dimension at a time when the squad is stretched in key areas.

Form lines and fine margins

St Mirren’s league form has been quietly impressive. That 3-3 rollercoaster with Motherwell showed both their attacking ambition and their vulnerability, but the response in Kilmarnock – a tight, controlled 1-0 away win – hinted at a side learning to manage games, not just chase them.

Celtic, by contrast, have been ruthless. Aberdeen were swept aside without fuss. Falkirk pushed them harder, yet the leaders still found a way to grind out a 2-1 win. Eleven scored, two conceded: numbers that speak to control, confidence and a squad used to carrying the weight of expectation.

Tonight, those form lines collide against the backdrop of two injury-hit squads forced to adapt on the fly. St Mirren’s depleted midfield against Celtic’s makeshift defence: that’s where this contest will likely tilt.

Predicted line-ups

• St Mirren (expected): Chapman; Ramsay, Gogic, Fieldson, John; Nsio, Carr; Mochrie, Taylor, Kabia; Agrafiotis
• Celtic (expected): Sinisalo; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Scales; McGregor; Hassan, Nygren, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hyun-Jun; Duran

Under the lights, with the cameras on

The cameras will catch every tackle and every misstep. The game is live exclusively on Sky Sports Football, beaming a charged Paisley atmosphere across the country.

Celtic want to keep their perfect start intact and send another message to the rest of the league. St Mirren, bruised but unbroken, see a chance to drag the champions into a fight on their terms.

In a season already hinting at a tighter title race, how much will one night in Paisley really be worth by May?