Ross County host Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday hoping to end their run of nine league games without a win.
Meanwhile, Hamilton are hoping to get revenge on the side that beat them 1-0 earlier in the campaign and win their fourth top-flight away match.
Match preview
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Ross County's pleasing run in the Scottish League Cup came to an end on Wednesday night as they lost 2-0 away at Livingston.
The League Cup had been a welcome escape from the Staggies' miserable league form, but Stuart Kettlewell now turns his attention back to the Scottish Premiership with hopes of moving off the bottom of the table.
Ross County have accumulated the fewest number of points, have the worst goal difference and have won the fewest number of matches, winning just three of their 17 league outings.
The Staggies are however unbeaten in their last eight home games against Hamilton in the Scottish Premiership – winning six and drawing the other two – since a 1-0 defeat in their first ever top-flight match against them in December 2014.
Victory on Saturday for Kettlewell's men would end a run of three successive league defeats and could move them off the foot of the table and into 10th place if St Mirren were to lose at home to St Johnstone.
Hamilton were unable to go three league matches unbeaten as they were thrashed 4-0 at home to high-flying Hibernian last weekend.
The Accies have now lost 11 Scottish Premiership games this campaign, more than any other top-flight side, and have also conceded a league-high 40 goals.
A 1-1 draw at home to Aberdeen before a 1-0 win over Kilmarnock seemed to have eased the pressure on Accies boss Brian Rice, but another heavy defeat at the weekend has reminded everyone how colossal his task is in retaining Hamilton's top-flight status.
One man Rice will be hoping he can rely on is midfielder Ross Callachan, who has been directly involved in four of Hamilton's last five league goals, scoring three and assisting one.
The Accies are currently enduring a five-game losing streak away from home in the Scottish Premiership, but a victory on Saturday would end that run and could see them move above St Mirren into ninth place, level on points with Kilmarnock and St Johnstone if they were both to lose this weekend.
Ross County Scottish Premiership form: LLDLLL
Ross County form (all competitions): WLWLLL
Hamilton Academical Scottish Premiership form: WLLDWL
Hamilton Academical form (all competitions): LWLDWL
Team News
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Ross County's Charlie Lakin (thigh) and Tom Grivosti (hamstring) are both unavailable for selection with injuries.
Coll Donaldson, who began the match against Livingston on the bench, is likely to be recalled to the starting lineup to replace Callum Morris.
Hamilton will be without the injured Shaun Want (thigh), Will Collar (knee), Lewis Smith (hamstring), Marios Ogkmpoe (knee) and David Templeton (groin). They all could return within the next few weeks.
Versatile defender Hakeem Odoffin is back from his one-match suspension and is likely to continue his role in midfield alongside Scott Martin.
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Laidlaw; Randall, Donaldson, Iacovitti, Reid; Kelly, Paton, Vigurs, Tillson, Charless-Cook; Stewart
Hamilton Academical possible starting lineup:
Fulton; Stirling, A. Martin, Easton; Hodson, Odoffin, S. Martin, McMann; Callachan, Smith; Moyo
We say: Ross County 1-2 Hamilton Academical
Both sides are in desperate need of three points and to end their respective miserable runs in the league. Ross County have scored just once in their last six matches in all competitions, while Hamilton have scored in 10 of their 11 away matches this campaign, despite losing seven of those outings. Hamilton's threat going forward could be enough to snatch a win from the Staggies on Saturday.
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 Ross County win with a probability of 39.11%. A win for Hamilton Academical had a probability of 33.95% and a draw had a probability of 26.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Ross County win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.68%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.35%) and 2-0 (6.98%). The likeliest Hamilton Academical win was 0-1 (9.8%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.79%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 5.9% likelihood.
