- St. Johnstone have won eight of their last ten matches, including three wins in their last five.
- Kilmarnock have won four of their last five and have been very solid at the back in recent outings.
- Kilmarnock have won two of the last three meetings and lost none, with St. Johnstone winning the other.
Killie are Kiltie-clever
Kilmarnock arrive at McDiarmid Park in much better form than their hosts ahead of this Sunday's Premiership kick-off at McDiarmid, and this St. Johnstone vs Kilmarnock preview suggests the Saints will enter the campaign on a very decent run of eight wins in ten.
Neil McCann took charge of the Ayrshire side on 6th January 2026, but his mandate has been very clear from the outset - get the team organised, confident and winning matches. Killie have won nine of their last ten in all competitions and look like the in-form team on paper.
Their most recent assignments were a 1-0 home win over Hamilton Academical and a 0-0 draw away to Peterhead ahead of a penalty shootout defeat in the League Cup. Greg Kiltie has been their main end product with two goals in their last five, making Killie dangerous on the break and from set pieces.
Saints are solid, but lack sizzle
Simo Valakari's side are a possession-based team that likes to press well when out of possession and can vary between a back-three and back-four with ease. Ruari Paton has been their spark plug, netting three goals in their last five, during which the Saints have hit ten.
The hosts have lost back-to-back games, going down 1-0 at Inverness Caledonian Thistle before a 1-1 draw with East Fife that saw them fall on penalties in the League Cup.
Killie will be very compact and direct with some good width and delivery in terms of style, but the pace of the game could be high as Saints like to control the middle and counter with speed. Valakari's men have two wins and one defeat from three at home in all competitions so far, averaging 3.33 goals scored per-game and conceding 2.00 - suggesting this could be an open game at McDiarmid.
Kiltie-clever is the call
The bookmakers have St. Johnstone in at 2.12, making them favourites for the win, with Killie priced up at 3.2 and the draw available at 3.45. For those looking for St. Johnstone vs Kilmarnock betting tips, the visitors have won five of their six away matches in all competitions this season and conceded just eight goals in those six trips.
This should be a close tactical game in the end, but Killie's recent form and edge in the head-to-head gives them the slight advantage in our eyes, and St. Johnstone vs Kilmarnock prediction points to a double result in their favour. The goals markets are all over the place, so Under 2.5 goals at 2.0 and Both Teams To Score - Yes at 1.65 look like smart alternatives, while our St. Johnstone vs Kilmarnock prediction also leans toward a tight contest.
