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Newly promoted St Johnstone welcome Scottish Premiership giants and reigning champions Celtic to McDiarmid Park on Wednesday night, with the hosts looking for their third win of the season.
The Saints have made a solid start to the 2026-27 campaign and head into their sixth league outing in seventh place, while the visitors travel to Perth looking to maintain their perfect start after winning five from five.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
St Johnstone vs Celtic key stats
- St Johnstone have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven matches.
- Saints striker Josh Fowler is currently the Scottish Premiership's top scorer, with four goals in five games.
- Celtic have scored 11 goals across their last five matches in all competitions.
- The Bhoys have won 100% of their away league games so far this season.
St Johnstone vs Celtic preview: Will Martin O'Neill's side continue their perfect start?
St Johnstone vs Celtic — Tale of the Tape
| St Johnstone | vs | Celtic |
|---|---|---|
| 7th | Position | 1st |
| 7 | Points | 15 |
| 8 | Goals For | 13 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 3 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 2 |
| 3rd | Home / Away Rank | 2nd |
St Johnstone spent one season in the second tier after being relegated at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, but they secured an immediate return to the top flight after winning the title with 77 points from 36 league outings.
Simo Valakari's side lost just three times during that memorable campaign and have adapted well to life back in the Premiership, recording two wins, one draw and two defeats to leave them level on points with sixth-placed Dundee.
The Saints began their return in dramatic fashion, securing a late 4-3 victory over Kilmarnock on the opening day.
That result was followed by narrow defeats to St Mirren and Hearts before a draw against Dundee and a return to winning ways over Hibernian at the weekend lifted them to seven points from their opening five games.
As for the visitors, Celtic arrive at McDiarmid Park in excellent domestic form after winning all five of their Scottish Premiership matches so far and conceding just three goals in the process.
Despite their strong start at home, the Bhoys suffered European heartbreak when they were thrashed 5-1 by LASK in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier, a result that was described as one of the worst in the club's history.
The loss in Austria looked set to give Martin O'Neill's side a European hangover, but Celtic have responded by winning their following three matches against Falkirk, Aberdeen and St Mirren to move three points clear at the top of the table.
While the Bhoys enter their sixth game of the campaign unbeaten on the road, they will know that a shock could be on the cards after losing their last away game against St Johnstone a couple of years ago.
St Johnstone vs Celtic form guide & betting tips
| St Johnstone | vs | Celtic |
|---|---|---|
W
L
L
D
W
|
Form |
W
W
W
W
W
|
| 7 | Points | 15 |
| 7th | Form Table | 1st |
| 8 | Goals For | 13 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 3 |
W
L
W
W
W
|
Form (All Comps) |
W
L
W
W
W
|
Whispers predicts: St Johnstone 1-3 Celtic
Celtic are unsurprisingly favourites and are priced at 1/2 to win in Perth and make it six victories from six in the Scottish Premiership.
Benjamin Nygren has been heavily involved in Celtic's goals and assists so far this season, and we are backing him to add to his tally again at 15/8 to score or assist on Wednesday night.
Josh Fowler has also been in excellent form in front of goal and is the league's top scorer, with the Saints striker priced at 15/8 to score for the fifth time in six games.
Our 1-3 scoreline prediction is available at 10/1, while we are also backing Over 2.5 Goals at 13/8.
> Benjamin Nygren to score or assist at 11/10 | Likelihood: Likely
> Josh Fowler to score anytime at 15/8 | Likelihood: Likely
> Celtic to win at 1/2 | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 2.5 goals at 13/8 | Likelihood: Probable
> Correct score of 1-3 at 10/1 | Likelihood: Outsider