ST JOHNSTONE will be looking to continue their remarkable streak in domestic cup competitions under Callum Davidson when they meet Celtic at Hampden on Saturday - but they will have to find a way to win without the services of centre-forward Stevie May or on-loan Rangers winger Glenn Middleton.
May is set to be out for around six weeks with a knee injury, while Middleton tweaked his hamstring while playing for Scotland Under-21s against Belgium on Tuesday and is unlikely to be fit for Saturday's clash at Hampden.
Manager Callum Davidson said: "Stevie suffered a knee injury in training so he's going to be out for a while, probably up until Christmas. That's a blow for us because we want good competition for places and he's someone who either plays with energy or comes off the bench with energy.
"He's going to be sorely missed. I'm gutted to lose him because he was just coming into a bit of form.
"Glenn is struggling. I was cursing at the television when I saw him limp off. It's a slight hamstring injury. He's been in getting assessed today and hopefully it's not as bad as first feared, but I think Saturday will come too soon for him, which, again, is a blow."
Davidson, meanwhile, is hoping Saints can tie down in-form goalkeeper Zander Clark to a new deal.
The 29-year-old, who was involved in the Scotland squad over the past week, is out of contract at the end of the season and is free to talk to other clubs from January.
Davidson confirmed Saints have offered him the best deal they can in the hope he will agree to extend his stay at McDiarmid Park.
He said: "We know that the way Zander has performed and with him getting into the Scotland squad, there's going to be interest in him. We've put the best offer we can to him.
"Zander knows what I think of him. Sometimes it isn't about money, it's about other situations. I'm hopeful that Zander will sign, but I know there will be other teams interested. That's just unfortunately what happens when you're successful like we were last season.
"It can have a knock-on effect that way, but I'm glad I've got people looking at my players rather than having nobody interested in them at all."
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