Preview: Dundee United vs Motherwell - prediction, team news, lineups

Dundee United will aim to end a disappointing winless run when they host in-form Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.

The hosts have failed to win any of their last six matches, while the visitors are unbeaten in their last six outings.

Match preview

Dundee United recorded a fantastic fourth-placed finish in the Scottish Premiership last season, marking a superb first campaign back in the top flight following their Scottish Championship winning campaign in 2023-24.

Jim Goodwin's men have been unable to replicate that achievement or level of performance so far this season, with the Tangerines sitting eighth in the league standings with only 16 points from 15 fixtures.

While Dundee United initially started the campaign on positive footing, beating UNA Strassen 2-0 in the Conference League second qualifying round and drawing their opening league match with Falkirk, the Tangerines' form quickly took a turn for the worse.

Dundee United subsequently suffered elimination from the Conference League qualifiers with a penalty defeat to Rapid Vienna in the third qualifying round, suffered elimination from the Scottish League Cup and lost to Hearts in the league.

Although Dundee United bounced back with a derby-day win over Dundee, followed by a draw and win in their next two games, the Tangerines have since managed only one victory in their last 10 league outings.

Those results, with five draws and four defeats, have seen Dundee United fall down the standings and into eighth, five points adrift of the top six, leaving Goodwin eager for his side to claim a much-needed three points and avoid falling any further behind the top half of the table.

However, Dundee United are the major underdogs heading into this clash with Motherwell on Saturday, as the visitors travel to Tannadice Park enjoying a rich vein of form.

Manager Jens Berthel Askou, appointed in the summer, has been a sensation since moving to Fir Park, with the Danish boss boasting an impressive record of 12 wins, eight draws and just three defeats during his time at the helm.

The Steelmen initially had a rather slow start to the league season, drawing all of their first five matches before finally defeating Aberdeen on matchday six, quickly followed by back-to-back losses to Celtic and Falkirk.

However, Motherwell have responded admirably in the league since those losses, remaining undefeated in their last eight Scottish Premiership fixtures with five wins and three draws.

Askou's side were disappointingly defeated 4-1 by St Mirren to deny them the chance to compete in the Scottish League Cup final in early November, but the Motherwell faithful are still sure to be pleased with their manager given their impressive third-placed standing in the league.

Arguably Motherwell's biggest strength this term has been their enviable defensive record, with the Steelmen conceding only 15 goals in 16 league games, including a particularly brilliant run of shipping just one goal in their last five matches - featuring a run of four consecutive clean sheets heading into this one.

Looking to both continue their clean sheet streak and claim another three points, especially as they aim to stay ahead of Rangers in the table, Motherwell will be striving to secure their sixth win in the last seven meetings with the Tangerines.

Dundee United Scottish Premiership form:

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Dundee United form (all competitions):

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Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:

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Team News

Isaac Pappoe and Yevhenii Kucherenko are both unexpected to feature for the hosts due to ongoing injury problems, although both are anticipated to return in the coming weeks.

Following an underwhelming 2-0 defeat to St Mirren last time out, Goodwin could make numerous changes to Saturday's starting team, meaning the likes of Ivan Dolcek and Kristijan Trapanovski could start.

As for Motherwell, Aston Oxborough, Eseosa Sule, Filip Stuparevic, Jordan McGhee, Sam Nicholson and Zach Robinson are all unavailable due to fitness issues.

Off the back of a commanding 3-0 win against Livingston, Askou could look to name an unchanged team against Dundee United.

Dundee United possible starting lineup:

Richards; Iovu, Graham, Keresztes; Stephenson, Sevelj, Trapanovski, Sibbald, Ferry; Moller, Dolcek

Motherwell possible starting lineup:

Ward; O'Donnell, Gordon, McGinn, Koutroumbis; Fadinger, Watt; Maswanhise, Just, Charles-Cook; Stamatelopoulos

We say: Dundee United 0-2 Motherwell

Motherwell have dominated this fixture in recent seasons and are also in far superior form than Dundee United, leading us to expect a comfortable away win.

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