Preview: Kilmarnock vs Motherwell - prediction, team news, lineups

Searching for their first Scottish Premiership victory in over six weeks, Motherwell make the short journey south to face Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday afternoon.

Despite losing just one of their last four league outings, Killie sit bottom of the Scottish Premiership after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Rangers last Saturday, their fifth loss of the campaign, while the Well have endured a difficult start to the season and arrive on the back of four consecutive defeats, most recently losing 2-0 to league leaders Celtic.

Match preview

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, finishing six points clear of the drop zone, Kilmarnock would have been hoping for a more comfortable campaign under Neil McCann.

McCann arrived at Rugby Park in the new year and guided his side to safety, but he has so far been unable to maintain the momentum that helped keep Killie up, with the East Ayrshire club entering their ninth league game of the season rooted to the bottom of the table.

After eight outings, Kilmarnock have won just one, drawn two and lost five, leaving them with both the worst attacking and defensive records in the Scottish top flight.

Although they have scored just seven goals and conceded 18, they entered the three-week international break in their best form of the season, beating Hibernian 1-0 before drawing 1-1 at home to Hearts, meaning the extended break may have come at an unfortunate time for McCann's side.

Their return to Scottish Premiership action proved difficult, however, as Kilmarnock found themselves 3-0 down before half-time, with Nicky Clesenco's stoppage-time strike serving as little more than a consolation.

While the league table makes grim reading for Killie, a victory on Saturday, which would be their first at Rugby Park this season, could lift them off the bottom and potentially leave them as high as 10th by the end of the weekend.

As for the visitors, Motherwell make the 39-mile journey from North Lanarkshire in worse form than their opponents, despite sitting three places higher in the table.

The Well finished fourth in the 2025-26 campaign under Jens Berthel Askou, securing a place in the Conference League qualifying rounds.

However, Askou was appointed Toulouse manager in the summer and replaced by Swedish boss Alfred Johansson, who became the club's 31st manager in June but has struggled to make a positive start.

Motherwell's hopes of reaching the Conference League were ended in early August when they lost 3-1 at home to last season's Europa League finalists Freiburg before suffering a 4-1 defeat in Germany in the second leg of their playoff tie.

Since their European exit, Johansson's side have been able to focus solely on the Scottish Premiership, but a draw with St Mirren and a 3-0 win over Dundee United have been followed by four consecutive defeats.

During that losing run, Motherwell have conceded nine goals and found the net just twice, leaving them ninth in the table on eight points, although a victory this weekend could propel them into the top half and provide some much-needed momentum.

Kilmarnock Scottish Premiership form:

Kilmarnock form (all competitions):

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:

Team News

Kilmarnock's latest defeat not only left them bottom of the Scottish Premiership but also saw their captain suffer an injury, meaning McCann is likely to make changes this weekend.

Greg Kiltie was forced off with just over 10 minutes remaining and is expected to miss out, with Djenairo Daniels the most likely candidate to replace the Killie skipper.

McCann will, however, be able to call upon defender Robbie Deas, who returned to the bench last week after an injury kept him out of action since August.

Should he return to the starting XI, either Cathal McCarthy or George Stanger could make way.

Motherwell, meanwhile, have the option of naming the same XI after avoiding further injuries against Celtic, although Johansson could still make changes in an attempt to end their losing streak.

Alex Paulsen made an impressive 12 saves against the Bhoys and was a major reason the scoreline remained respectable, so the goalkeeper is expected to retain his place between the posts.

Sebastian Palmer-Houlden could be one player to miss out as Johansson looks to guide his side back to winning ways, with Jardell Kanga an option to lead the line.

The Well will remain without Callum Hendry, Dylan Williams, Johnny Koutroumbis, Paul McGinn and Oscar Priestman, who are all sidelined with various injuries.

Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:

Ferrie; Kamson-Kamara, McCarthy, Stanger; Schjonning-Larsen; Tshibola, Lowery; Ring, John-Jules, Daniels, Hugill

Motherwell possible starting lineup:

Paulsen; Sparrow, O'Donnell, Moormann, Longelo; Fadinger, Levitt; Vogt, Lowry, Hodge; Kanga

We say: Kilmarnock 1-1 Motherwell

Both sides find themselves closer to the bottom of the table than the top for a reason, and we are therefore not expecting a high-quality contest on Saturday.

Kilmarnock are still waiting for their first home win of the season, and we expect their struggles to continue, with the two sides sharing the points in a 1-1 draw.

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