St. Johnstone vs Inverness CT. Scottish Premiership.
McDiarmid ParkAttendance2,891.
Friday 19 December 2014 17:39, UK
St Johnstone will be without James McFadden against Inverness Caledonian Thistle after the midfielder suffered further hamstring problems.
The veteran playmaker was forced off early in the second half of the 1-0 win at Kilmarnock last Saturday and will not be risked this weekend.
David Wotherspoon picked up a slight knock at Rugby Park but manager Tommy Wright has said he will make the matchday squad.
Inverness manager John Hughes will be looking for a response from his team after their surprise 4-0 home defeat by Partick Thistle.
Hughes may restore young Ryan Christie to starting XI after the 19-year-old was left out against Partick despite scoring the winner against Dundee the week before.
Reflecting on the defeat to Partick, Hughes said: "Expectations are a dangerous thing but if you had said to me at the start of the season come Christmas time we’d be second in the league, I’d have bitten off your hand.
“Let’s not react too hastily. It’s still positive. Let’s put it down to a blip. We might go to St Johnstone and get beaten or we might go there, play well and win it.
"But no matter what happens, there’s a way to get beaten and a way to win. We have to make sure we’re at it and play to the standards we’ve set at this club.”
