Dundee United welcome St Mirren to Tannadice on Wednesday for what should be an interesting clash between two mid-table Scottish Premiership teams.
The Buddies head into the match after a disappointing League Cup semi-final loss to Livingston on Sunday while the Terrors have not managed to win in their last five games.
Match preview
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Dundee United are in sixth place in the league table as things stand, but need three points on Wednesday to re-inject some momentum into their season.
Micky Mellon's team have drawn their last three games, with the latest of those being a goalless game away at Hamilton Academical on January 16.
Prior to that, they drew 2-2 away at St Johnstone and 0-0 at Aberdeen, results which followed a 3-0 defeat at Celtic.
The Terrors' last win came at home to Kilmarnock on December 23, which seems like a long time ago now.
The club have been in the news for other reasons this week, with sporting director Tony Asghar blasting the Scottish Government for not giving more help to clubs like his during the COVID-19 crisis.
Asghar has admitted that the club considered asking if the season could be stopped, with cash flow problems meaning that owner Mark Ogren is having to subsidise United's activities with no fans allowed in grounds.
Whether or how that situation is affecting Mellon and his team is unclear, but three points on Wednesday would do a great deal to pour oil on troubled waters at Tannadice.
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Jim Goodwin and his St Mirren team are now in eighth place in the table, and they remain the only side to have beaten Rangers this season, albeit in the League Cup.
Their run in that competition ended on Sunday when they were beaten 1-0 by Livingston in the semi-final at Hampden Park.
Goodwin felt that his team were unlucky to not find an equaliser, and Conor McCarthy did have a header cleared off the line in the second half in Glasgow.
After the game, Goodwin acknowledged that his team had not been in great form in the lead-up to the semi-final, but that they looked a much better team in the second half.
One major positive he is taking from the defeat is that the experience will have done his young side no harm at all.
Goodwin is eyeing up some reinforcements for his squad, with Huddersfield Town defender Jaden Brown reportedly on his wishlist.
On Wednesday at Tannadice, though, he will have to rely on what he has currently, and lifting spirits after the Livi defeat will be top of his list of priorities.
Dundee United Scottish Premiership form: WDLDDD
St Mirren Scottish Premiership form: LWLDDL
St Mirren form (all competitions): LLDDLL
Team News
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Micky Mellon will be unable to call on Jeando Fuchs who is out with a knee injury. Logan Chalmers is nearing a return to action as he recovers from an ankle injury but is unlikely to feature on Wednesday.
Declan Glass remains sidelined for the rest of the season while continuing his recovery from surgery on his ACL.
Jim Goodwin can call on a full squad for the game with no new injury or suspension concerns after Sunday's semi-final.
His players may well be fatigued physically and emotionally, however, so fans should probably expect the Irishman to make one or two changes to add some fresh legs to the group.
Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Siegrist; Neilson, Connolly, Reynolds; Smith, Clark, Powers, Harkes, Robson; Shankland, Appere
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Tait; Connolly, McGrath, MacPherson, Erhahon, Mason; Brophy
We say: Dundee United 1-1 St Mirren
Given Dundee United's recent run of tied games, we think another draw is likely on Wednesday evening at Tannadice.
We predict a 1-1 result in what could well be a pretty underwhelming game, with the Saints tired after Sunday's League Cup disappointment.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a St Mirren win with a probability of 37.45%. A win for Dundee United had a probability of 35.48% and a draw had a probability of 27.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a St Mirren win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.13%) and 0-2 (6.64%). The likeliest Dundee United win was 1-0 (10.15%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.85%). The actual scoreline of 1-5 was predicted with a 0.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that St Mirren would win this match.
