Preview: Ross County vs. Kilmarnock - prediction, team news, lineups

The two bottom-placed teams in the Scottish Premiership table will compete this Saturday as Ross County look to get off the foot of the table when they welcome Kilmarnock to the Global Energy Stadium.

Neither club has managed to win a league match in their opening three games, with this providing each of them a great opportunity to change their fortunes.

Match preview

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Despite the fact that Ross County put together an undefeated start to the season in the Scottish League Cup, that is not something that have been able to translate into the league as of yet.

The Staggies have been beaten in all three of their SPL fixtures to this point, with the latest being at the hands of St Mirren, who denied their opponents from even scoring a goal.

The match finished 1-0 after Richard Tait scored early in the second half, with Ross County being unable to find a response as they continue to sit bottom of the league.

So far the Staggies are a far cry away from their standings in the 2021-22 campaign where they finished in the top half of the table, which is down to the form that they have started with.

A big problem so far for Malky Mackay is the fact that his team is struggling to find the back of the net, as they have scored just two goals this season in the league.

That is an area that Scottish Premiership new boys Kilmarnock are actually weaker in, as the squad have managed to just a single goal so far, but that was enough to get them a point on the board.

The 91st-minute finish from Ash Taylor helped them secure a 1-1 draw against Dundee United in the opening day of the season, and since that point, they have been comfortably beaten by both Rangers and Celtic.

Facing the Old Firm rivals has been a difficult way to adjust to life in the top flight for Kilmarnock, and they will now be hoping to put those two defeats behind them to get their season back on track immediately.

A victory could see Derek McInnes's team climb into the top half of the table, showcasing just how close things are in the early moments of the campaign overall.

Kilmarnock have not picked up any points on the road though, which is something that they will be keen to do as quickly as possible in order to showcase their ability to compete away from home.

Team News

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Connor Randall was unavailable for Ross County during their most recent defeat due to injury, and that opened up an opportunity for Callum Johnson to start the match, which could take place again this weekend.

Jordy Hiwula was able to lead the line once again for the Staggies, although after a game without a goal there could be a chance that Jordan White takes his place.

The visitors have been missing a trio of players as of late with Blair Alston, Zach Hemming and Scott Robinson all being unavailable at the moment for them.

Pressure is building on the attacking members of the Kilmarnock squad as well after consecutive games without a goal, with the experience of Kyle Lafferty potentially being important this weekend.

Ross County possible starting lineup:

Laidlaw; Johnson, Baldwin, Iacovitti, Purrington; Cancola, Callachan; Sims, Samuel, Edwards; White

Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:

Walker; Alebiosu, Taylor, Mayo, Dorsett; Murray, Power, Donnelly, McKenzie; Lafferty, Shaw

We say: Ross County 1-1 Kilmarnock

Neither team will be heading into this match with much confidence after difficult starts to their respective campaigns, but it does give them both a chance to get some points on the board.

Even though each club needs to get a victory under its belts, it could end up leading to them sharing the points as they look to be cautious enough to not suffer another defeat.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.