St Mirren vs Annan Athletic Predictions, Lineups and Betting Tips

Match Details: July 19th, 2025 | St. Mirren Park, Paisley | Scottish League Cup Group D

The Scottish League Cup Group stage will be over halfway through this weekend, as participating sides prepare to play their third game out of four in their designated groups.

One of those fixtures sees unbeaten Premiership side St. Mirren take on winless Scottish League Two outfit Annan Athletic, in a game where the fate of both teams could be decided. A win for St Mirren would see them finish in the top two regardless of other results, while a loss of Annan Athletic would more or less see them eliminated from the competition.

Key Betting Tip: Over 4.5 Goals, at odds of 3.30, represent good value for the tip provided by our in-house tipsters.

St Mirren vs Annan Athletic Predicted Lineups

St Mirren Predicted XI (3-5-2): Zachary Hemming (GK); Richard Taylor, Alexandros Gogic, Marcus Fraser; Declan John, Caolan Boyd-Munce, Mark O’Hara, Killian Phillips, Ryan Alebiosu; Jonah Ayunga, Mikael Mandron.

Sticking very much to the side that is undefeated in the tournament so far, there is no real need for massive rotation for coach Steve Robinson. While they may not have been as convincing as they would like, four points after two games is usually the platform from which sides propel themselves into the knockouts.

However, with a sixth placed finish in the Premiership last season, a 26 place gulf to where Annan Athletic finished, St Mirren will want to make a statement here - pre-season is over, now they must find their rhythm.

Annan Athletic Predicted XI (4-4-2): Zach Balfour (GK); Josh Gilmour, Euan Deveney, Tommy Muir, Ryan Muir; Daniel Carmichael, Paul McGowan, Paul Smith, Josh Todd; Aidan Smith, Zander Craik.

On the flip side, Annan have secured just one point in the competition so far, after a draw against Forfar Athletic which they would then lose on penalties anyway. And they didn’t help their case in the next fixture, as they were demolished by Championship side Ayr United 6-1.

A win here is a must, but the fact they require all three points against a top flight side effectively spells the end of the road for them here - they either require a miracle, or for St Mirren to pull of the game due to external factors.

St Mirren vs Annan Athletic Current League Standings

With neither the Premiership or League Two season kicking off until early August, the only table these two sides have to gauge their progress is that of the tournament group, group D. Currently, St Mirren sit top with four points, technically undefeated.

However, if a game ends as a draw in the group stage, it is decided by penalties, and St Mirren’s 0-0 stalemate with Arbroath saw them lose 5-3 on penalties. However, because of the result over 90 minutes, they picked up a point for the draw, with Arbroath picking up an extra point due to the shootout win.

On the other side, Annan sit on a single point earned from their draw and shootout defeat to Forfar. While back to back wins against St Mirren and Arbroath could technically take them through to the next round, these are so unlikely that they can count themselves as out of the competition already.

St Mirren vs Annan Athletic Head to Head Timeline

St Mirren and Annan Athletic rarely face each other - in fact, in the last decade, there has been just one competitive meeting between the two, a 2-1 St Mirren victory in the Scottish Challenge Cup in which second half Jordan Stewart and Alan Gow goals were enough to overturn a first minute Peter Weatherson penalty.

St Mirren vs Annan Athletic Recent Match Analysis

St Mirren Last Five Games:

• Forfar Athletic 1-2 St Mirren (Scottish League Cup)
• Arbroath p0-0 St Mirren (Scottish League Cup)
• Airdrieonians 0-2 St Mirren (Club Friendly)
• MK Dons 1-2 St Mirren (Club Friendly)
• Dumbarton 0-4 St Mirren (Club Friendly)

If you remove penalty shootouts from the equation, St Mirren are unbeaten in their last eight competitive fixtures, and 11 if friendlies are included, a run which intimidate any lower league opposition put in front of them, which in this case, are the unfortunate Annan Athletic.

Mikael Mandron appears to have carried over his excellent form from the back end of last season, netting in their win over Forfar, while their overall style of play can easily be argued as deserving of two Scottish League Cup victories, as they were unfortunate to fall to a goalles draw at the hands of Arbroath.

Annan Athletic Last Five Games:

• Annan Athletic 1-6 Ayr United (Scottish League Cup)
• Annan Athletic 1-1p Forfar Athletic (Scottish League Cup)
• Gretna 1-3 Annan Athletic (Club Friendly)
• Annan Athletic 1-3 Greenock Morton (Club Friendly)
• Annan Athletic 0-2 Queen’s Park (Club Friendly)

Conversely, Annan have won just one of their last seven competitive fixtures, a run of form which saw them relegated from League One last season as they just couldn’t hold their own in the relegation play-offs.

Although being considered favourites for promotion this season will be a morale boast, the 6-1 beating last time out will still leave them licking their wounds, and with confidence low, an unexpectedly slow start of the season could be on the cards.

St Mirren vs Annan Athletic Prediction

Our advanced algorithm has analyzed over 200 data points, and has predicted we are in for a goal fest here - over 4.5 goals is a rare occurence in football, and our model has St Mirren pinned as eventual 4-2 winners. This model factors in current form, head to head records, player availability and tactical matchups.

St Mirren vs Annan Athletic Betting Tip

Football Park’s Best Bet: Over 4.5 Goals - both sides have seen plenty of goals in their last five games at both ends, and neither seem to be able to slow the flow. This leads us to believe that this game will see the best and worst of both sides, as electric attacking play and loose defending both play significant parts in the result.

Key Players to Watch: St Mirren vs Annan Athletic

Richard Taylor (St Mirren): Standing at 6 foot 3 inches tall, and with a wealth of both Scottish and English football under his belt, St Mirren’s Taylor makes for a formidable adversary if you find yourself face to face with him. Leading the way for the club’s backline in both blocks per 90 and clearances per 90, Taylor always finds himself in the right place at the right time, an unteachable trait so important to every side.

Tommy Muir (Annan Athletic): An unusual hybrid of centre back and striker, Tommy Muir top scored for his side last season with 11 goals despite play much of the season in central defence. A capable finisher as well as an efficient defender, Muir can do it all, and his performances last season in a relegated Annan side could lead to a move later on in the summer.

Match Details

Broadcast Details

UK: Premier Sports Player and St Mirren TV

Europe: Regional Broadcasters.

Stadium Details: St. Mirren Park plays host to this Scottish League Cup Fixture. Opened in 2009, this ground still boasts relatively modern features and facilities, and at full capacity, can hold over 7 ‘900 spectators.