St. Johnstone
- St. Johnstone have the best home record in the Championship 2025/2026 with seven wins, four draws, and only one defeat from 12 matches.
- Their home average of 2.0 goals per game is boosted by talisman Joshua McPake’s 13 goals in 21 league games.
- St. Johnstone have the home advantage and superior form heading into Friday’s Championship clash with Partick Thistle, who are two points behind them in second spot after 23 games.
- Simo Valakari took over at St. Johnstone in October 2024 and has built an attacking, possession-based team that can play wide and deep in the attacking third.
- They are fast and tough to stop on the counter-attack and can create space for McPake to operate in behind.
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Recent form:
- They have won three, drawn one, and lost one of their last five matches in all competitions.
- They drew 0-0 away at Queen’s Park before a 2-0 home win over Ross County in the Challenge Cup.
Partick Thistle
- Partick Thistle have scored 12 goals in their 11 away Championship games.
- Mark Wilson has done a great job since being appointed in May 2025 to take Partick into a new era following the departure of Doolan.
- He has built a compact, solid structure that can be ruthless on the break.
- Partick have had a mixed run of form, winning two and losing three of their last five in all competitions.
- Wilson has got them into a position to challenge for promotion with 43 points from 23 games.
- Thistle have won only three of their 11 away matches in the Championship, drawing four and losing four, which is a concern for Wilson.
Key Players
- Logan Chalmers has been a great signing for Partick, scoring seven goals in 23 Championship appearances, although not many of them have been away from home.
- Joshua McPake is St. Johnstone’s talisman and will be the man that the game revolves around.
Betting Insights
- St. Johnstone are the favorites to win this game at 1.71.
- Partick are priced at 4.75 and the draw is 3.4.
- The 'Under 2.5 goals' line at 1.77 looks good because both teams are very disciplined.
Prediction
- We think St. Johnstone will have the edge as the home team and they have the better record at home, but Partick are a tough team to break down.
- The two teams are likely to produce a chess match with the leaders trying to probe open spaces and Thistle looking to frustrate and hit on the attack.
