ADDED TIMEpublished at 21:47 BST
St Johnstone 0-1 Celtic
One of four added minutes played in Perth.
Celtic were far from their flowing best on Saturday evening but got the job done at St Mirren after falling behind.
Yang Hyun-jun was the star man, capping an energetic display with the decisive finish, but the winger is now away with South Korea for the Asian Games.
His absence will mean a reshuffle but Martin O'Neill may be reluctant to shift Camilo Duran out wide again after a run of three goals and two assists in three games at centre forward.
Of the six players arriving in the final 48 hours of the window only two have been used from the bench so far and it could be that Sebastian Tounekti is the safe choice to replace Yang.
Striker Kasper Hogh and left-back Kieran Tierney are also in contention after brief spells out injured.
The champions can expect to face another side who focus on possession and playing through the phases as St Johnstone hunt a third win on the bounce at McDiarmid Park.
Three of Josh Fowler's four goals have come in Perth, while local lad Taylor Steven caught the eye with his crossing from the right in victory over Hibs.
Centre-backs Cheick Diabate and Zach Mitchell are a no-nonsense pair who will put their heads where it hurts, although Saints are yet to keep a league clean sheet.
O'Neill was last in Perth as a manager 25 years ago but you don't have to go back very far for the most recent upset, given a home win over Celtic in April 2025 was among the rare moments of joy in a season that ended in relegation for St Johnstone.
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| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 18 |
| |
| 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 13 |
| |
| 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 7 |
| |
| 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 6 |
| |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | -5 | 5 |
| |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 4 |
| |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 2 |
| |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 1 |
|
Manager:Simo Valakari
Formation:4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager:Martin O'Neill
Formation:4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager:Simo Valakari
Formation:4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager:Martin O'Neill
Formation:4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Scottish Premiership
All competitions
All competitions
St. Johnstone won their last home league game against Celtic 1-0 in April 2025, ending a 13-game losing run at home to the Hoops in the Scottish Premiership. The Saints last beat Celtic in successive home league matches in April 1999 (run of 3).
Celtic have won 23 of their last 26 meetings with St. Johnstone in all competitions (D2 L1), most recently a 5-0 Scottish Cup semi-final victory in 2024-25.
Celtic have won 23 of their last 24 league games against newly promoted opponents (D1 – v Dundee United in December 2024) since a 1-2 defeat to Hearts in July 2021.
Newly promoted sides are winless in their last 37 Scottish Premiership games against reigning champions (D6 L31) since Hibernian beat Celtic 2-1 in April 2018.
St. Johnstone have only won two of their last 12 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) games in the Scottish Premiership (D5 L5), beating Aberdeen 2-0 in February 2024 and Ross County 1-0 in February 2025.
Celtic have won 23 of their last 25 league games played on a Wednesday, the exceptions being a 2-4 defeat to Hibernian in May 2023 and 1-2 loss to Dundee United in December 2025.
This will be Martin O’Neill’s first league game against St. Johnstone as Celtic manager since January 2002 (2-1 win). Celtic have won all six of their league matches against the Saints under O’Neill; the only managers with a better 100% league win rate over a specific opponent with the club are Jock Stein (18/18 v Clyde), Brendan Rodgers (9/9 v Hamilton Academical), and Ange Postecoglou (7/7 v Aberdeen & Ross County).
Last season, Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren was directly involved in eight goals in seven Scottish Premiership games against newly promoted sides (7 goals, 1 assist), scoring three in two away matches against the promoted clubs (2 v Livingston, 1 v Falkirk).