Ross County vs St. Johnstone

Ross County and St. Johnstone are set to exchange tackles at the Global Energy Stadium in their opening 2021/22 Scottish Premiership fixture.

After back-to-back walkover defeats at the beginning of their League Cup journey earlier in July, the ‘Staggies’ have racked up two consecutive victories by an aggregate score of 5-1, finding the net inside the first ten minutes of the second half on both occasions. Ross County painted the final stretch of the 2020/21 season with flying colors, having gone from four consecutive Premiership fixtures without winning (D1, L3) to three straight wins. Additionally, before succumbing to a narrow 1-0 defeat in their most recent top-flight meeting with St. Johnstone, Ross County had gone unbeaten in their previous six Premiership encounters (W2, D4). Entertainment has been sparse in their recent league H2Hs, though, as each of the last five featured under 2.5 total goals.

In the meantime, after lifting the Scottish Cup title in their closing 2020/21 fixture, St. Johnstone went on to draw three of their four off-season matches (W1), all of which contained less than three goals. A low-scoring theme has highlighted St. Johnstone’s recent Premiership games too, as three of their last four league outings have produced under 2.5 total goals. Curiously, before going down 4-0 at Celtic Park in the penultimate round of the 2020/21 Premiership fixtures, the ‘Saints’ had been on an eight-game unbeaten streak away from home (W6, D2), a sequence that saw them prevail by a narrow one-goal margin five times. Another close, keenly-contested affair is well on the cards, considering that each of their last four top-flight H2Hs held here ended level.