St Johnstone vs Falkirk Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

St Johnstone head in to this clash chasing down League One side Montrose in their Scottish League Cup group. The Premiership side have made a strong start, taking five points from their opening two games. However, they sit a point shy of leaders Montrose, the side they beat at the weekend, to move up into contention for top spot. With only one guaranteed place in the last 16 up for grabs, the Saints will need a strong finish in this group, as they face Falkirk and Forfar over the next week.

The Saints are fresh from their 1-0 win on Saturday, while Falkirk have had a week since their last League Cup outing. They were shocked at home to Montrose, before seeing off Forfar. They now face two away trips to wrap up Group B, leaving them in a difficult position with just three points to their name so far. They have a difficult trip to Premiership opposition this week, and that’s got to be a worry for the visitors.

Falkirk struggled to make a huge impact on the Championship last season, so we don’t see them doing much against the Saints this week. The hosts have started their campaign well, as they aim to make up for an early exit in the League Cup last season. They were given a bye through the group because of their European commitments, but when they kicked off at home in the last 16 they were beaten 3-0 by a poor Partick Thistle side.

The Saints seem to have a better bearing in the cup this season, with back to back clean sheets. Their only issue is a lack of goals, after scoring once in their two games. Saint Johnstone haven’t scored more than once in their last seven home competitive games, a run which has seen them defend well at least. Six of their last seven here have seen under 2.5 goals land, as they scored just 0.89 goals per home game in the league last term.

Falkirk finished the season as one of the lowest scoring sides in the second tier. Only the bottom two sides scored fewer goals than them, while they hit just 40% of their strikes on the road. With 44% of their away games seeing under 1.5 goals land, we can’t see this being a high scoring affair. That has us backing a narrow 1-0 win for the hosts, and under 2.5 goals to be scored in this game.