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Dundee logo
Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 15
Nov 27, 2021 at 3pm UK
Dens Park
Motherwell logo

Dundee
3 - 0
Motherwell

McCowan (19'), Mullen (26'), Sweeney (49')
Mullen (45'), Sweeney (59'), Fontaine (76')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Slattery (10'), Mugabi (58'), Roberts (81')

Preview: Dundee vs. Motherwell - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash between Dundee and Motherwell, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Motherwell shall be hoping to extend their winning streak to three games on Saturday when they travel to Dens Park to face Dundee.

Meanwhile, the hosts will be playing their first game in 20 days where they have the chance to go level on points with Livingston if they can be victorious.


Match preview

Graham Alexander, now in charge of Motherwell, pictured in September 2020© Reuters

Dundee currently sit inside the relegation zone following the first 13 games of the season, having only managed to win two games throughout the campaign.

However, one of those victories did take place at the end of October in what was one of their most recent matches, with their performances having drastically improved as of late.

The Dark Blues managed to beat St Mirren 1-0 and while they followed that up with a loss, they did put in a strong effort against Celtic as they were defeated 4-2 in their most recent outing.

But with just three points separating them and Livingston, there is a real incentive to go and gain a result on Saturday, especially after such a lengthy break following the latest international games.

When the two teams last met it was a closely-fought contest and one that Dundee only narrowly lost 1-0, with a strike from Tony Watt being enough to grant Motherwell the victory on the day.

The Steelmen returned from the international break with a victory last weekend, bookending that time with a win on either side, which is something the club needed.

Graham Alexander's squad had gone on a run of five games without three points before defeating Aberdeen and they were able to follow it up with another 2-0 last Saturday against Hearts.

Connor Shields and Ricki Lamie were both on target against the Jam Tarts, with the win helping them to reach fifth place in the table.

Another victory on Saturday has the chance to lift Motherwell as high as third depending on other results, which immediately puts them back into the mix at the top end of the table.

However, Alexander will be wary that his side have struggled away from home this season, managing to pick up only two victories on their travels so far.

His team have managed to keep consecutive clean sheets, though, and considering Dundee have only just managed to break double figures in terms of goals this season, that is something that could see the Steelmen through.

Dundee Scottish Premiership form:
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • L

Dundee form (all competitions):
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • L

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:
  • L
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W

Motherwell form (all competitions):
  • L
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W



Team News

Salford City boss Graham Alexander pictured in October 2019© Reuters

After such a long break Dundee should be able to provide a fit and healthy squad for this Saturday, which is something that could prove to be beneficial, even if many of the players have a lack of game time.

However, one player they will be without is Cillian Sheridan who suffered an Achilles tendon rupture before the international break which is something that will keep him out of action for the rest of the season.

The Dark Blues will also be able to welcome back Leigh Griffiths to the squad after he was unavailable during their last performance due to it being against his parent club.

Kevin van Veen will be eligible to return on Saturday after serving his suspension, but Motherwell will likely be without Liam Donnelly once again, as he continues to deal with small problems.

Both Mark O'Hara and Juhani Ojala were also unable to overcome knocks to feature against Hearts but could be in contention at the weekend.

Dundee possible starting lineup:
Legzdins; Elliot, Kerr, Ashcroft, Sweeney, Marshall; McMullan, McGowan, Adam, Anderson; Griffiths

Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Mugabi, Johansen, Lamie, McGinley; Slattery, Maguire, Goss; Watt, Shields, Woolery


SM words green background

We say: Dundee 0-2 Motherwell

Sometimes a long break can be a good thing, but it can also be damaging and Dundee have a serious lack of game time recently, which Motherwell could exploit.

The visitors have got their confidence back and have returned to playing exciting football with strong defensive displays and that should see them earn another three points at the weekend.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 2.5:data



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Written by
Matthew Wilkinson

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 Motherwell win with a probability of 41.69%. A win for Dundee had a probability of 31.57% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.

The most likely scoreline for a Motherwell win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.05%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.65%) and 0-2 (7.53%). The likeliest Dundee win was 1-0 (9.32%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.7%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 2.1% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Dundee vs Motherwell

Dundee
25.0%
Draw
12.5%
Motherwell
62.5%
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Graham Alexander, now in charge of Motherwell, pictured in September 2020
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1514104444043
2Aberdeen16104230181234
3RangersRangers1510232791832
4Motherwell168172226-425
5Dundee UnitedDundee Utd166642519624
6St Mirren176382228-621
7Dundee165472729-219
8Kilmarnock174581834-1617
9Hibernian173682129-815
10Ross County173681333-2015
11St Johnstone1742112032-1214
12Hearts1734101826-813


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