St Mirren vs Hearts
7 August 1500hrs
Football – Scotland – Premiership
Pick Under 2.5 goals
Bookmaker Betvictor
Odds: 4/6 odds taken 2000 GMT, Friday 6 July
Hearts got their season off to a perfect start last week and will be looking to follow that up against a St Mirren team who had to make do with a draw on the opening day.
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St Mirren Preview – Can Saints grab their first league of the new season?
Jim Goodwin is overseeing steady progress as St Mirren boss. This is his third season in charge and the Saints finished seventh last season having been ninth the season before. The last campaign wasn’t without disappointment and frustration, though, as St Mirren missed out on their first top six finish in the Premiership-era on the final day of the regular season. That is undoubtedly the aim this season.
The Buddies are also hoping to keep up their good showing in cup competitions. They reached the semi-finals of both the Scottish and League Cup last season and have cruised through the group stages of the League Cup – earning them a tie away to Livingston next week. They will be looking for revenge over Livi who got the better of them in the semi-final at the start of this year.
The league campaign started with a 2-2 draw away to newly-promoted Dundee last Saturday. Whilst it’s a point to get things moving Goodwin will feel they could and should have had more having taken the lead twice and also playing against 10 men for the last 20 minutes.
Midfielder Jamie McGrath was on target again in the draw. The Irishman was excellent last season reaching double figures for goals. St Mirren will be desperate to keep hold of him following interest from other clubs.
Hearts Preview – Will Hearts follow up their opening weekend win with another victory here?
Hearts took the scalp of Celtic last week to ensure they won on their return to the Scottish Premiership. A fast start and a late goal gave Robbie Neilson’s men the three points and although it’s a very encouraging result, the performance was typically defensive in the main. Neilson has received criticism for his overly cautious tactics in the past. Hearts must now show they can play in a more attacking and aggressive way starting with this match.
John Souttar was the winning goal hero against Celtic and there’s no doubt keeping him fit will give Hearts the best possible chance of success this season.
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Hearts will face Celtic again next weekend, this time in the League Cup and at Celtic Park. They will hope to go there on the back of another win but this stadium does have bad memories. Their last visit here was a 1-0 defeat back in March 2020. That was a loss which ultimately seen them relegated to the Championship.
Neilson will be aware of the context of this game but has to maintain his player’s concentration. The Tynecastle club are looking to win an eighth consecutive match. That includes wins in the Championship, League Cup and now Premiership.
St Mirren vs Hearts Betting Advice
This has the prospect of being a very interesting game between two teams who will have hopes of finishing in the top six this season. St Mirren will look to make home advantage count but know Hearts will be encouraged by their win last weekend.
Key Facts – St Mirren vs Hearts Betting Tip
- St Mirren had to settle for a point despite taking the lead twice away to Dundee last week
- Hearts will be confident having beaten Celtic on the opening weekend
- The Jambos last visit here ended in a 1-0 loss and seen Hearts relegated back in 2019/20
The goals were flowing in these team’s games last weekend but matches between Hearts and St Mirren in recent years have been close. Four of the last five meetings between the two have had two or fewer goals and I’m happy to side with a low-scoring game again here.
Best Betting Odds for St Mirren vs Hearts
