Preview: Motherwell vs. St Johnstone - prediction, team news, lineups

Motherwell will be back in action on Saturday when they host St Johnstone at Fir Park as they look to respond to being defeated by Celtic last weekend.

Meanwhile, after six games in a row without a victory, the visitors are also in a need of three points as they attempt to get themselves off the foot of the table

Match preview

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Motherwell were unable to get back to winning ways at the weekend when they faced Celtic, suffering a 1-0 loss after Tom Rogic scored at the end of the first half.

This marked the second game in a row without three points for the Steelmen after they were held to a 1-1 draw in their previous outing by Hibernian.

With Graham Alexander's squad currently fifth in the Scottish Premiership table, the club are in a strong position and they are level on points with Dundee United, who sit above them, which they will be hoping to change.

Motherwell have been stronger at home this season, having only lost three matches so far, but they will be aware that the Saints have also had better form on the road.

However, with both Aberdeen and Hibernian having the possibility of overtaking the Steelmen if results go their way, Alexander will be wary of the fact his team need to continue picking up points.

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Callum Davidson will also be pushing his squad to get a victory at the weekend as the club are at the foot of the table, having failed to win in their previous six outings.

The Saints have failed to even score a goal in the past three matches and they are the only squad to have not hit double digits so far in this campaign, with this being a serious problem for them.

St Johnstone competed against Rangers in midweek, but the league leaders were too strong for them as they earned a 2-0 victory.

The last time these two teams met was on the second game of the season and Davidson's men were able to take a point, with Tony Watt scoring in the 80th minute to rescue a result for the Steelmen.

With the Saints being just two points behind Dundee, who sit just outside of the relegation zone, a victory does have the potential to push them into safety, which adds further pressure on this fixture.

Team News

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Jake Carroll has recently been slotted in as a central defender for Motherwell due to injuries that the team are suffering, with Ricki Lamie currently unavailable, and that could continue at the weekend.

Kaiyne Woolery is also a concern to Alexander as he did not feature against Celtic last Saturday, but after appearing from the bench in that game, Liam Donnelly could earn a starting spot this time around.

The visitors were dealt a major blow recently as it was confirmed that David Wotherspoon will be out of action for up to eight months after suffering an ACL injury.

Meanwhile Chris Kane was unavailable for their recent fixture with Rangers as he was isolating due to COVID-19 after a positive test within his family.

Motherwell possible starting lineup:

Kelly; O'Donnell, Mugabi, Carroll, McGinley; Goss, Maguire, Donnelly; Woolery, Watt, Van Veen

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:

Clark; Brown, Gordon, McCart; Devine, Craig, Butterfield, Rooney; Crawford, O'Halloran; Vertainen

We say: Motherwell 2-0 St Johnstone

St Johnstone are struggling at the moment and their lack of goals is an alarming problem that is stopping them from progressing up the table.

On the other hand, Motherwell have been getting mixed results, but when it comes to Saturday they should have enough quality to secure three points.