St Johnstone vs Celtic: How to watch Scottish Premiership fixture on TV, live stream, kick-off time and team news

Celtic will attempt to put their midweek Champions League disappointment to bed when they visit St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park in Saturday’s lunchtime Premiership kick-off.

Ange Postecoglou’s depleted squad are looking to get back to winning ways, having struggled for consistency in recent weeks due to a mounting injury list.

The Scottish champions have a two-point lead at the top of the table but have won just two of their previous six matches in all competitions, with their latest setback coming against RB Leipzig in Germany on Wednesday evening.

Celtic slumped to a 3-1 defeat against the mid-table Bundesliga outfit, conceding two goals in the space of 10 minutes from Andre Silva to rule out Jota’s first-half equaliser.

Their performance against Motherwell last weekend was unconvincing at times, with the absence of key players such as Cameron Carter-Vickers particularly noticable.

However, the Hoops have lost just once domestically over the last year and on the back of a poor result in Europe, they will no doubt be eager to get back on track in Perth.

St Johnstone, who secured their top-flight safety via the end-of-season Premiership play-off last term, currently sit ninth and six points clear of the relegation zone which they will desperately be trying to avoid this time around.

In order to move up the table, the hosts will require a much stronger performance than they mustered during Wednesday night’s 2-1 defeat at Kilmarnock, with striker Theo Blair’s late goal proving to be nothing more than a consolation.

Saints have kept clean sheets on their last two home outings and they will be forced to defend their own box a lot against the strongest attacking team in the league.

We’ve gathered all the information you need on the match and how to watch it below…

Where is the game taking place & what time does the match kick-off?

Who: St Johnstone vs Celtic

What: Scottish Premiership

Where: McDiarmid Park, Perth

When: Saturday, October 8th – kick-off 12.30pm (UK time)

How to watch on TV – Is there a live stream?

Yes, the game will be broadcast live exclusively on Sky Sports Football HD. Coverage begins at 12pm - 30 minutes before kick-off. Subscribers can stream the match using the Sky Go app across all devices.

BBC Sportsound will provide online and radio updates throughout the match with Sportscene highlights on from 7.30pm.

SPFL clubs are no longer allowed to sell non-televised home games as a pay-per-view option in the UK and Ireland after a temporary agreement with Sky Sports ended.

Fans outside of the UK and Ireland can stream the match live for subscribers on CelticTV.

What are the latest match odds?

ST JOHNSTONE 12/1 | DRAW 6/1 | CELTIC 2/11

According to the bookmakers, Celtic are massive favourites to claim maximum points. Japanese striker Kyogo Furuhashi is 5/2 favourite to score first in the match, with Daizen Maeda available at 11/4. Giorgos Gikoumakis is priced at 3/1, with Liel Abada the value bet at 10/3.

*Odds from BET365 correct at time of writing*

Who are the match officials?

Referee Euan Anderson has been selected by the SFA to take charge of the fixture. He will be assisted by Sean Carr and Alastair Mather, with Gavin Duncan named as the fourth official.

What’s the team news ahead of St Johnstone vs Celtic?

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou must make do without a number of key players for the trip to Perth with Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt both on the sidelines through injury.

USA international Carter-Vickers is nearing a return to action after missing the last three games with an unspecified “minor” problem, while Swedish defender Starfelt travelled to London earlier this week to meet with a specialist regarding his knee issue which has kept him out for over a month.

Depending on the results of his meeting, all being well Postecoglou could have the latter back available by the end of October.

Skipper Callum McGregor, who has been sent for a scan on a knee issue of his own picked up against Leipzig, is suspended for this match following his red card in the 2-1 win over Motherwell last Saturday.

That could mean deadline day signing Oliver Abildgaard makes his first start for the club in the midfield engine room after making his debut in Germany as a first-half replacement for McGregor.

First-choice goalkeeper Joe Hart could also be rested after his shocking midweek blunder, with Benjamin Siegrist an able deputy.

St Johnstone boss Callum Davidson was able to call on full-back Tony Gallacher for the first time since April on Wednesday night after recovering from a fractured leg, while midfielder David Wotherspoon was also named on the bench for the first time in 10 months.

Fellow defender Callum Booth remains out after undergoing surgery on an Achilles tendon, while Cammy MacPherson (hamstring) and Chris Kane (cartilage damage) are long-term absentees.

Murray Davidson and Graham Carey are both nursing knee injuries, while on loan Celtic left-back Adam Montgomery has suffered a broken toe.

This match could come too soon for summer recruit Daniel Phillips but Connor McLennan should be passed fit to feature after popping his shoulder earlier this week.