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Can St Mirren find knockout form in three 'cup finals'?
TL;DR
St Mirren has one cup final win this season and faces three crucial league matches, termed 'cup finals,' to secure their Premiership status. The first match is against Kilmarnock at home, deemed a must-win by the manager.
Key points
- St Mirren won one cup final this season
- They have three crucial league matches left
- First match is against Kilmarnock at home
- Manager Craig McLeish calls it a must-win game
St MirrenKilmarnock
[BBC]
St Mirren have played and won one cup final this season and came close(ish) to reaching another.
Now they have three 'cup finals' left in the league - and five if things don't go to plan and they end up in a play-off for Premiership survival.
First up, Kilmarnock in Paisley. A must-win game according to St Mirren manager Craig McLeish and few would disagree.
With three rounds of matches to go the Buddies have the dubious distinction of being in the play-off spot.
Killie's 3-0 win over Dundee United and St Mirren's 1-0 defeat at Dens Park means the Buddies are clinging to the second-bottom rung of the top-flight ladder.
Pretty much a two way battle to avoid the play off now, wouldn't you say? So Saturday's meeting is huge.
Killie go into it in slightly better fettle. That win over United was their only victory in four since the start of April. Rattling in three against the Tangerines will do their confidence the world of good. Mind you, Killie are one of two clubs who've managed just one win on the road this season.
The fact the other is Livingston, who notched their only travelling triumph at the SMISA a couple of weeks ago, is cause for concern.
As is the Buddies' form. They haven't won since beating Aberdeen at the start of April, losing all three league matches without scoring.
Lack of goals (apart from in cup competitions) has been the bugbear all season. They've only netted 27 times, that's 12 fewer than relegated Livingston and 14 fewer than Killie.
Defender Miguel Freckleton is joint top league scorer with Mika Mandron on just four goals. The big man scored seven in the league last season, one behind Toyosi Olusanya who left a year ago.
So he has three games in which to equal or surpass last season's haul. It might also go some way to help keep the Buddies in the Premiership. (no pressure then)
Worth pointing out that Mandron has scored seven in cup competitions this season - maybe it's a good job then that there are three cup finals to go.
Q&A
What are the upcoming matches for St Mirren in their fight for Premiership survival?
St Mirren has three crucial league matches remaining, which are referred to as 'cup finals' for their survival in the Premiership.
Who is St Mirren's manager and what is his stance on the upcoming matches?
St Mirren's manager is Craig McLeish, and he emphasizes that the upcoming match against Kilmarnock is a must-win.
How many cup finals has St Mirren played this season?
St Mirren has played and won one cup final this season.