Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Scottish Premiership clash between Ross County and Motherwell, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Ross County welcome Motherwell to Dingwall on Wednesday evening for a Scottish Premiership relegation battle.

The Staggies have enjoyed contrasting results in their last two outings, while the Steelmen have not enjoyed the taste of victory since October.

Match preview

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

Ross County manager John Hughes has enjoyed contrasting experiences in his last two games in charge of the Staggies.

County took a trip to Govan to face Rangers at Ibrox at the weekend, and were hammered 5-0 by Steven Gerrard's side.

Just a week before that defeat, however, Hughes enjoyed overseeing a really impressive 4-1 win at Aberdeen, highlighting what his side are capable of at times.

Hughes's side are currently in 10th place in the Scottish Premiership table, a place and a point above Motherwell, though the Steelmen do have two games in hand on the Highlands outfit.

Hughes is currently seeking reinforcements for his squad, one of whom, striker Jordan White, plies his trade at Motherwell.

The former Inverness Caledonian Thistle striker has not scored in 20 games for 'Well, but Hughes feels he can add something to the Staggies squad.

County's main problem since Hughes took over from Stuart Kettlewell as manager in December has been consistency.

They have beaten Hibernian as well as Aberdeen in recent weeks, but have also lost to Livingston, drawn with St Johnstone and been thrashed by the Gers.

Motherwell boss Graham Alexander is yet to guide his team to victory since taking over as manager on January 7.

In three games since then, the Steelmen have drawn 1-1 away at St Mirren and at home to Rangers, and lost 2-0 at home to Aberdeen at the weekend.

That game was marked by a red card for 'Well midfielder Liam Polworth, who was dismissed for using foul and abusive language.

Alexander insisted that the player's outburst was directed at Aberdeen player Lewis Ferguson, and he is now considering an appeal against the card.

Motherwell's last win came on October 31 at Livingston and Alexander could use a bit of luck to kickstart his reign at Fir Park, as the clouds of a relegation battle begin to gather over the Lanarkshire club.

Ross County Scottish Premiership form: LWDLWL

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form: DLLDDL

Team News

Ross County's Billy Mckay after sustaining an injury in September 2020 © Reuters

Ross County defender Tom Grivosti remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, but John Hughes otherwise has a full squad from which to pick.

Norwegian defender Leo Hjelde, 17, made his debut for the club against Rangers after signing on loan from Celtic and could be in line to keep his place for the visit of Motherwell.

For Motherwell, Liam Polworth is suspended after his red card in the weekend defeat to Aberdeen, while Liam Grimshaw and Mark O'Hara are both absent with illness.

Liam Donnelly and Charles Dunne are both still out with knee and groin injuries respectively, and goalkeepers Scott Fox and Trevor Carson continue their long-term absences.

Jordan White, a transfer target for County, has not made an appearance since January 9, and is unlikely to be a part of Graham Alexander's squad.

Ross County possible starting lineup:
Laidlaw; Morris, Iacovitti, Hjelde; Naismith, Draper, Vigurs, Lakin, Randall; Paton, Shaw

Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; O'Donnell, Mugabi, Gallagher, Carroll; Campbell, Crawford, Maguire; Seedorf, Cole, Watt

SM words green background

We say: Ross County 2-0 Motherwell

Our prediction for this game is that the home side will enjoy a relatively comfortable victory, winning 2-0.

Motherwell just cannot win a game at the moment, and seem to be a team beset by bad luck, so home advantage should be enough to help Hughes's side over the winning line.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a draw or an away win 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.

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 45.97%. A win for Ross County had a probability of 27.9% and a draw had a probability of 26.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a Motherwell win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.09%) and 0-2 (8.42%). The likeliest Ross County win was 1-0 (8.48%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.41%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 9.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Motherwell would win this match.