Two teams in the fight for a top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership will clash on Saturday afternoon as Motherwell host St Mirren at Fir Park.
The hosts are sixth in the standings with 37 points from 29 games, while the visitors are ninth in the league table with 34 points from their 29 fixtures.
Match preview
© Imago
Motherwell's 2024-25 season has been filled with drama, entertainment and inconsistency, featuring several winning and winless runs, as well as the departure of their manager.
Despite that, Motherwell are still battling for their first top six finish in the Scottish Premiership since 2021-22, with the Steelmen currently placed sixth in the standings.
They briefly dropped out of the top six following five consecutive losses through January and February, a run that saw former boss Stuart Kettlewell decide to leave the club after he faced abuse from the fans.
However, they have climbed back into the top half thanks to back-to-back wins in the lead up to this match, defeating Dundee 2-1 and impressively beating Rangers 2-1 last time out.
Now aiming to build on that result and strengthen their place in the top six, new boss Michael Wimmer will be hopeful of continuing their winning run in this one.
The visitors, St Mirren, are similarly battling for a place in the top half of the Scottish Premiership standings, currently placed ninth in the table with 34 points from 29 games, after 10 wins, four draws and 15 losses.
Stephen Robinson's men, as a result, trail sixth-placed Motherwell by three points, meaning a victory on Saturday could see them move into the top six depending on results elsewhere.
St Mirren, however, are facing a period of difficulty coming into this match, having recorded only one win in their last six outings, with four losses and one draw.
They have also already lost twice to Motherwell this season, falling to a 2-1 defeat away from home in September and a 1-0 home defeat in December, leaving them as the underdogs coming into the meeting.
Team News
![Stephen Robinson of St Mirren during the UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round Second Leg match at the SMISA Stadium, Paisley, on August 1, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/31/stephen-robinson.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Stephen Robinson of St Mirren during the UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round Second Leg match at the SMISA Stadium, Paisley, on August 1, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]")
© Imago
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Archie Mair, Aston Oxborough, Jack Vale, Paul McGinn, Ross Callachan, Sam Nicholson, Steve Seddon and Zach Robinson are all ruled out of this match due to injury.
Following their superb 2-1 victory over Rangers in their most recent outing, Wimmer may decide to name the same starting team on Saturday, with goalscorers Luke Armstrong and Callum Slattery continuing in attack.
As for St Mirren, Alex Iacovitti, Conor McMenamin and Evan Mooney are all unlikely to feature due to ongoing injury issues, while Mikael Mandron is a doubt after coming off with an injury in their last match.
In Mandron's absence, St Mirren's top scorer Toyosi Olusanya could partner James Scott in attack, with Ryan Alebiosu and Declan John playing in wide areas.
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Balcombe; Balmer, Gordon, Casey; Sparrow, Halliday, Andrews, Thompson; Armstrong; Slattery, Miller
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Hemming; Fraser, Gogic, Taylor; Alebiosu, Phillips, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, John; Olusanya, Scott
We say: Motherwell 2-1 St Mirren
Motherwell have won back-to-back games coming into this one, while they have already defeated St Mirren twice this season, leading us to expect another victory for the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
