St Mirren v Celtic: Midfield Showdown in Paisley

St Mirren come into this under the lights in Paisley with momentum – and with problems.

Craig McLeish has his side just two points off the top after a sharp, unbeaten start to the league campaign, but his midfield has been stripped bare on the eve of the visit of the champions. Killian Phillips is out with a shin injury, ruled unavailable for this one even if he is close enough to be back on the grass next week. Liam Donnelly’s abductor issue keeps him in the treatment room, and Malik Dijksteel’s hamstring strain removes another option in the centre of the pitch.

For a game of this magnitude, it leaves a noticeable hole right where managers least want one.

Jonah Ayunga remains a long-term absentee and will not be seen until January, a continued miss in terms of physical presence and depth across the frontline.

So McLeish reshapes. Jacob Chapman is expected to keep his place in goal, shielded by a back line built around Alexandros Gogic and Henry Fieldson. The structure is clear; the question is whether the patched-up midfield in front of them can keep their shape when Celtic’s runners start to swarm.

St Mirren’s form, though, demands respect. Ten points from four league matches, and all that coming after a bruising League Cup defeat to Rangers that could easily have derailed them. Instead, they steadied themselves in the Premiership: a wild 3-3 draw with Motherwell, then a gritty, narrow 1-0 win away to Kilmarnock that kept them firmly in the early title conversation.

This is not a side clinging on. It is a side believing it belongs in this company.

Celtic’s defensive headache

Celtic arrive as league leaders and as the standard-setters. Four league games, four wins, 11 goals scored and only two conceded. Aberdeen were brushed aside 3-0, Falkirk were edged out 2-1. The only real bruise on their season so far came in Europe, an extra-time exit to LASK in UEFA Champions League qualifying.

Domestically, though, they have not blinked.

They do, however, walk into Paisley with a clear problem down the left. Martin O’Neill’s defensive options have been shredded, particularly at left-back. Kieran Tierney, Kasper Høgh and Callum Osmand are all missing with thigh or ankle issues, and the plan to fast-track Chelsea loanee Landon Emenalo into the side has been shelved by a training-ground injury. He is not ready to debut.

Alistair Johnston is sidelined until October with a fresh knock, while Jota continues his recovery from a long-term knee problem. The result is a back line that has to bend without breaking.

Liam Scales is expected to plug the gap on the left again, asked to balance defensive discipline with the need to provide some width. Up top, Camilo Durán is set to lead the line, carrying the goalscoring burden for a team that has made a habit of overpowering Premiership opponents early in games.

There is at least one shaft of light for O’Neill. Late-window arrivals Joël van den Berg and Jordan Lotomba are both cleared to play and could feature, offering fresh legs and a different dynamic just as the schedule begins to bite.

Form, stakes and a tightrope in midfield

The contrast is sharp. Celtic, relentless and ruthless in the league, hunting a fifth straight win. St Mirren, unbeaten and emboldened, but running thin in the very area they need to compete.

McLeish’s side will try to turn this into a contest of structure and spirit, leaning on the organisation that took them through Kilmarnock away and that chaotic six-goal draw with Motherwell. Celtic will look to stretch them, to drag that makeshift midfield into areas it does not want to go.

One misstep in that central zone, and the leaders tend to pounce.

Predicted lineups

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

How to watch

The match will be shown live, exclusively on Sky Sports Football.

Celtic are out in front. St Mirren are on their heels. With both squads patched up and the early table already taking shape, who blinks first under the Paisley floodlights?