St. Mirren vs Dundee

St Mirren's recent home form against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership showcases a strong advantage, with the Saints winning five of their last six encounters at home. Their only loss in this run came in October 2021 when they were narrowly defeated 1-0. Since then, St Mirren has demonstrated their dominance over Dundee at home by winning the last three consecutive matchups between the two sides. This impressive run further cements their solid record on their own turf when facing Dundee, highlighting their resilience and tactical strength in home fixtures.

Dundee, on the other hand, have struggled in their recent encounters with St Mirren. They have managed to secure only two victories in their last 13 meetings in the Scottish Premiership, with one of those wins coming in October 2021 when they edged out a 1-0 victory. The other win came more recently, in November 2023, when Dundee triumphed 4-0 in what was a rare and comprehensive victory against St Mirren. This overall trend suggests that Dundee has faced significant challenges when playing against St Mirren, especially in their visits to St Mirren Park.

When considering St Mirren's performance in their final home game of the calendar year in the top-flight, the record is somewhat mixed. Over the last five occasions that they have ended the year with a home match in the Scottish Premiership, they have secured just one victory, which came in 2019 against Kilmarnock in a 1-0 win. The other four matches in this period resulted in two draws and two defeats. While the one victory stands as a positive marker, the lack of consistent success in these end-of-year fixtures highlights that St Mirren have often faced challenges in their final home game of the calendar year. 

Dundee’s record in their final top-flight match of a calendar year also reflects some struggles, although not without the occasional positive result. Excluding seasons in which they were relegated, Dundee have lost nine of their last 12 final games of the year in the Scottish Premiership. The team has managed just two wins during this period, along with a solitary draw, which came in their 2-2 draw against Kilmarnock at the end of 2023. This demonstrates a pattern of underperformance for Dundee in these end-of-year matches, where they have often found themselves falling short in the final fixture of the calendar year.

In terms of goal-scoring, St Mirren’s recent success against Dundee has been heavily influenced by the performances of key individuals. Specifically, Mikael Mandron and Toyosi Olusanya have been central to St Mirren’s attacking efforts, with both players contributing to a significant proportion of the club's goals in recent games against Dundee. Of St Mirren's last eight goals in Premiership matches against Dundee, six have been scored by either Mandron or Olusanya, with each player netting three times. This highlights the importance of these two forwards in breaking down Dundee’s defense and underlines their role in St Mirren's continued success in these encounters.

In conclusion, St Mirren’s home advantage over Dundee in the Scottish Premiership is clear, as they have won five of the last six such matches. Dundee’s poor record in these encounters, particularly their struggles in St Mirren Park, demonstrates the challenge they face when visiting their rivals. While Dundee have managed a couple of victories in recent seasons, including a notable 4-0 win in 2023, their overall record is far from consistent. Both clubs have mixed records in their final games of the calendar year, with St Mirren’s struggles at home in these fixtures and Dundee’s broader trend of underperformance in such matches. Nonetheless, St Mirren’s ability to rely on their key attacking players like Mandron and Olusanya in these encounters has been crucial, with the two forwards playing pivotal roles in recent victories over Dundee. This pattern reflects both teams' ongoing efforts to improve their performance in key fixtures, but St Mirren’s home record continues to give them the upper hand in this particular fixture.