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

Hearts will aim to bounce back from their first Scottish Premiership loss of the season when they take on Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday.

The hosts are fourth in the standings with 21 points from 13 games, while the visitors are top of the table with 30 points from 13 matches.

Match preview

After devastatingly missing out on a top six finish in the Scottish Premiership by just two points last term, Motherwell have responded superbly in the opening stages of the new campaign.

The Steelmen, under new manager Jens Berthel Askou, are fourth in the standings with 21 points from 13 games, having recorded five wins, six draws and suffered just two defeats.

Askou's side initially failed to win any of their first five league matches, recording five consecutive draws, before finally recording their first win on matchday six against Aberdeen, but they initially failed to build on that result.

The Steelmen lost back-to-back matches to Celtic and Falkirk following that first victory, but they have bounced back with four wins and one draw in their last five league games, helping them climb to fourth in the table.

Despite boasting a comfortable seven point lead over seventh-placed Dundee United, Motherwell will be eager to build on that lead and maintain their momentum heading into the busy winter schedule with another triumph on Saturday.

While the Steelmen will be facing a difficult test against Hearts, Motherwell are potentially coming up against them at the ideal time, as the Jambos are reeling from their first defeat of the league term last weekend.

Hearts, who remain top of the standings thanks to picking up 30 points from their first 12 fixtures, after nine wins and three draws, suffered their first loss of the league campaign to Aberdeen last weekend, heartbreakingly losing 1-0.

Despite the defeat, Hearts were dominant in that match, boasting 60% possession and taking 17 shots to Aberdeen's six, meaning Derek McInnes will still be positive moving forward.

However, with the gap closed to just four points over second-placed Celtic, who could close the gap to only one point if they win their game in hand over the Jambos, McInnes will be desperate for his side to immediately get back to winning ways.

Hearts will look to draw confidence from their recent record against Motherwell, as the Jambos have won four, drawn two and lost only one of their last seven encounters.

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:

L W W D W W

Motherwell form (all competitions):

W W L D W W

Hearts Scottish Premiership form:

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Hearts form (all competitions):

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Team News

Motherwell are contending with numerous injuries heading into Saturday's fixture, including Aston Oxborough, Eseosa Sule, Filip Stuparevic, Jordan McGhee, Sam Nicholson, Stephen O'Donnell and Zach Robinson.

Tawanda Maswanhise netted his eighth goal of the campaign in the 2-0 win over Hibernian, and the striker could continue his partnership with Regan Charles-Cook in attack, while the rest of the side is also expected to remain unchanged.

As for Hearts, Beni Baningime, Calem Nieuwenhof, Eduardo Ageu and Finlay Pollock are all out of action until at least December due to ongoing injury problems.

Lawrence Shankland missed the defeat to Aberdeen after the striker felt a tweak in his calf following a training ground slip, but the striker's scans have shown no signs of damage and he could be back in the team for this clash with Motherwell.

Claudio Braga, Pierre Kabore and Alexandros Kyziridis could still start as the front three with Shankland likely to be on the bench.

Motherwell possible starting lineup:

Ward; McGinn, Gordon, Welsh; Sparrow, Watt, Priestman, Just, Koutroumbis; Maswanhise, Charles-Cook

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Schwolow; McEntee, Steinwender, Kent, Findlay, Milne; Braga, Magnusson, Devlin, Kyziridis; Kabore

We say: Motherwell 1-2 Hearts

Motherwell will draw confidence from their ongoing run of results as well as Hearts' recent defeat, but the visitors have been the standout team in the league this term and draw belief from their impressive performances and their strong record in this fixture.

As a result, we are backing the league leaders to get back to winning ways with all three points on Saturday.

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