St Johnstone, founded in 1884, remain one of Scottish football’s familiar fixtures, operating out of McDiarmid Park with the kind of scale that gives their better seasons a hard-earned feel. Their squad is valued at around £4m by Transfermarkt, with 31 players and an average age of 24.
Their 2026-27 Premiership campaign is still at an early stage. After four rounds they sit eighth with four points, having also competed in League Cup Group F. Recent league form has been mixed: a 1-1 draw at Dundee followed defeats to Hearts and St Mirren, after earlier wins over Kilmarnock, Ayr United and Raith Rovers.
There has been a clear split between home and away form. At home, St Johnstone have been notably open, averaging 4 goals scored and 3 conceded per match. Away from McDiarmid Park, the numbers are more restrained, with 0.7 scored and 1.3 conceded on average.
The goals have been shared rather than carried by one obvious source. Kai Fotheringham, Josh Fowler, Jamie Gullan and Ruari Paton have each scored two, with Cheick Diabate also on the mark.
For Celtic supporters, St Johnstone are a known domestic opponent: established, awkward on their day, and currently trying to turn an uneven start into something more stable in the Premiership.
📈 Key stats and insights
⚔️ How they compare to Celtic
Against Celtic the contrasts are stark: Celtic have the edge in both attack and defence and sit top of the table, while St Johnstone rely on home firepower to compensate for defensive frailty and poor away scoring, making them more beatable over ninety minutes than the parkland champions.
