At 12-0 up away to Catalans Dragons last week, coming off the back of a big win in the previous round against Warrington Wolves, St Helens looked to be returning to their previous levels. But their eventual 24-12 defeat in Perpignan makes Saints' clash with Salford Red Devils on Saturday a vital opportunity to snap up two Betfred Super League points.
Here is everything you need to know about Saturday's closing game of Round 12.
St Helens v Salford Red Devils
Where: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens.
When: 1:00pm
TV: Channel 4
St Helens' last five: Lost 12-24 @ Catalans (Rd 11), Won 28-6 v Warrington (Rd 10), Lost 14-26 @ Hull KR (Rd 9), Lost 6-14 @ Wigan (Rd 8), Won 38-0 v Wakefield (Rd 7)
Salford's last five: Won 22-12 @ Leeds (Rd 11), Won 16-14 v Catalans (Rd 10), Won 14-6 v Castleford (Rd 9), Won 22-20 @ Leigh (Rd 8), Lost 16-26 v Huddersfield (Rd 7)
Betfred match winner odds (80 minutes): St Helens 3/10, Salford 13/5, draw 20/1
First try scorer odds: Tommy Makinson (St Helens) 6/1, Tee Ritson (St Helens) 8/1, Joe Burgess (Salford) 9/1, Jon Bennison (St Helens) 9/1, Jack Welsby (St Helens) 10/1
Milestones:
James Roby will become the leading appearance-maker in St Helens' long and storied history on Saturday when he plays his 532nd game for the club. He came off the bench to make his Saints debut back on March 19, 2004 in a 38-20 win over Widnes Vikings at Knowsley Road. He surpasses Kel Coslett's club high mark, which has stood for 47 years.
Ken Sio will be making his 250th career appearance if selected. It will also be his 150th club game in the British game, having played 61 times for Hull Kingston Rovers and 88 so far for Salford.
Previous meetings:
Semi-Final, 2022: St Helens 19, Salford Red Devils 12
Round 21, 2022: Salford Red Devils 44, St Helens 12
Round 11, 2022: St Helens 14, Salford Red Devils 10
Round 25, 2021: Salford Red Devils 26, St Helens 14
Round 6, 2021: St Helens 28, Salford Red Devils 0
Total Super League meetings: 55 (St Helens 46, Salford 9, no draws)
Paul Wellens will be expected to get a response out of his side after last week's collapse in France, and Saints fans will be looking to mark James Roby's big milestone game with a bounce-back win. The world champions are just five from 10 so far in Super League, and while they have won some favour from their World Club Challenge success there will be questions asked if they start to fall adrift of the top six. There is no Konrad Hurrell for Wellens to call upon this week, with Dan Norman and Ben Davies being promoted into the 21-player squad.
Salford boss Paul Rowley has quietly gone about his business of dragging the Red Devils into the top six, leading them to four straight wins. There will be a late call made on the fitness of Ryan Brierley after a head knock, while Danny Addy has returned to contention ahead of schedule following a hamstring problem and Alex Gerrard is also back in the squad.
Sportsman stat: Salford's 46 defeats against St Helens matches the number of games lost to Leeds Rhinos in the Red Devils' Super League history. Only against Wigan Warriors have Salford lost more (48).
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
