Preview: St Mirren vs Motherwell - prediction, team news, lineups

St Mirren and Motherwell are set to come together on Saturday afternoon in the second matchday of the Scottish Premiership season, with both searching for their first victories of the campaign.

The hosts were defeated 1-0 by Celtic in their opening league fixture of the term, while the visitors drew 1-1 with Rangers in their first game.

Match preview

St Mirren recorded their third consecutive finish in the top six of the Scottish Premiership last season, placing sixth in 2024-25, fifth in 2023-24 and sixth in 2022-23.

Aiming for another top half finish this term, Stephen Robinson's side enjoyed a superb pre-season campaign with three wins from three, and they followed that with three wins and one draw in the group stage of the Scottish League Cup.

As a result, St Mirren were undefeated in 13 consecutive games heading into their 2025-26 Scottish Premiership opener against Celtic, but that run came to a devastating end.

The Saints looked set to escape from Celtic Park with a point as the game remained 0-0 heading into the final minutes, but an 87th-minute winner from Luke McCowan secured the Bhoys a narrow 1-0 win, sending St Mirren home with an opening day defeat.

Hoping to bounce back from that loss with a positive result on matchday two, St Mirren will host a Motherwell side who secured a point on their first league fixture.

The Steelmen have had an encouraging start under new manager Jens Berthel Askou, with the Danish manager recording four wins, five draws and one loss from his 10 games in charge.

That sole defeat came in their first match under Askou against FC Twente during pre-season, meaning Motherwell are now undefeated in their last nine games heading into this one.

The Steelmen were particularly impressive in the 1-1 draw with the Gers last weekend, effectively demonstrating their new style of play under Askou, though there are still improvements to be made - specifically in their build-up play from defence.

Regardless, Askou will be delighted to have secured a draw against one of the league's best sides on matchday one, especially as their equalising goal came in the 87th-minute from new signing Emmanuel Longelo.

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form:

St Mirren form (all competitions):

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:

Motherwell form (all competitions):

Team News

St Mirren should be without any injury concerns heading into this matchday two clash with Motherwell, giving Robinson a full squad to select from.

Despite being defeated by Celtic in their opening match, an encouraging performance in a narrow 1-0 defeat means the Saints could field a similar team in this one.

As for Motherwell, Filip Stuparevic, Jordan McGhee, Sam Nicholson and Zach Robinson are all unavailable for selection due to injury issues, while Liam Gordon is a doubt after coming off in the Premiership opener against Rangers due to injury.

Stephen O'Donnell could partner captain Paul McGinn in central defence in Gordon's absence, while a midfield of Lukas Fadinger, Elliot Watt and Callum Slattery should start.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:

George; Richardson, Fraser, Gogic, King, John; Phillips, Taylor, O'Hara; Idowu, Mandron

Motherwell possible starting lineup:

Ward; Koutroumbis, O'Donnell, McGinn, Longelo; Fadinger, Watt; Maswanhise, Slattery, Just; Stamatelopoulos

We say: St Mirren 2-2 Motherwell

St Mirren and Motherwell have both had encouraging performances at the start of this season, and with three of their last five meetings ending all square, we expect another tight match that ends in a draw.

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