Hibernian travel to Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday hoping to win their first league game in four and leapfrog Aberdeen into third place.
Motherwell, meanwhile, sit four points above the relegation zone and have lost their last two home matches in all competitions.
Match preview
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Motherwell were knocked out of the Scottish League Cup last weekend after suffering a 2-1 home defeat to St Johnstone.
Tony Watt's strike gave the Steelmen the lead just after the hour mark, but goals from Callum Hendry and David Wotherspoon turned the game on its head and eliminated Steve Robinson's side from the competition.
Motherwell will now focus on the Scottish Premiership and head into this weekend's clash with a good record against their opponents, winning four of their last six matches.
The Steelmen however have been inconsistent at Fir Park this season, alternating between defeat and victory in their last five home league games, and have not lost back-to-back home league matches since February last season.
Securing the three points this weekend could move Motherwell up to sixth in the league table, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
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Unlike Motherwell, Hibernian were able to book their place into the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup after a narrow 1-0 home win over Dundee.
Jamie Murphy's goal on the stroke of half time was enough to send Hibs into the next round, where they will face Scottish Championship side Alloa Athletic.
Manager Jack Ross has recently seen plenty of goals scored in matches involving his side, with four or more goals scored in the previous three matches prior to the win against Dundee last weekend.
Hibernian – who currently sit fourth in the table, one point behind Aberdeen in third – travel to Motherwell having won only one of their last four away league games and defeat on Saturday would see them lose successive matches on the road for the first time since December 2019.
Motherwell Scottish Premiership form: WLWWLD
Motherwell form (all competitions): LWWLDL
Hibernian Scottish Premiership form: WDWLDD
Hibernian form (all competitions): LWLWDD
Team News
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Motherwell pair Allan Campbell and Barry Maguire are still self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus.
Left-back Nathan McGinley is set to come back into the starting lineup, which could see Ricki Lamie drop to the bench.
Hibernian defender Lewis Stevenson (ankle) and midfielder Kyle Magennis (hamstring) remain sidelined.
Ofir Marciano is likely to start ahead of Dillon Barnes, who was in goal for the win over Dundee in the Scottish League Cup.
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Chapman; O'Donnell, Mugabi, Gallagher, McGinley; O'Hara, Crawford, Polworth; Lang, Watt, Cole
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Marciano; McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Doig; Boyle, Gogic, Newell, Murphy; Doidge, Nisbet
We say: Motherwell 1-2 Hibernian
The last two Scottish Premiership meetings between Motherwell and Hibernian have ended goalless, but the two sides have seen a combined 19 goals scored in their last three matches in all competitions. Hibs have a better record away from home so far this campaign and we think that they can secure another victory on Saturday.
Top betting tip
Oliver Thomas
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 Hibernian win with a probability of 42.71%. A win for Motherwell had a probability of 32% and a draw had a probability of 25.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hibernian win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.47%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.96%) and 0-2 (7.1%). The likeliest Motherwell win was 1-0 (7.99%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.96%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 3.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Hibernian would win this match.
