Following respective defeats to Dundee-based outfits last time out in the Scottish Premiership, St Mirren and Motherwell have some mistakes to rectify in Saturday's showdown at the SMISA Stadium.
Stephen Robinson - reuniting with his former team this weekend - oversaw a 2-0 loss to Dundee United on November 30, while the visitors were thrashed 4-1 at the hands of Dundee in midweek.
Match preview
![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
Taking 10 points from a possible 12 against St Johnstone, Ross County, Hibernian and Aberdeen seemingly set St Mirren up well for a date with Dundee United last weekend, and Robinson's men looked on course for a hard-earned point approaching the final 10 minutes.
However, Kevin Holt drew first blood from the penalty spot for the Tangerines before seeing a second spot kick saved by Ellery Balcombe, whose intervention would not spark a late revival as Emmanuel Adegboyega doubled Dundee United's lead a matter of seconds later.
Marcus Fraser's red card - which has since been rescinded - rubbed salt into the St Mirren wounds at the time, and Robinson's men reside in mid-table obscurity on the back of a first loss since October 27, occupying seventh place in the Scottish Premiership rankings.
Defeat at Tannadice Park prolonged a miserable road record for St Mirren, as each of their last three defeats have come away from home, but Robinson's men have been seldom outfought on their own patch in the 2024-25 campaign.
Indeed, the hosts have only lost two of their eight fixtures at the SMISA Stadium in the ongoing top-flight season, and their total of 14 points at home is only inferior to the top three sides in Rangers (22), Aberdeen (21) and reigning champions Celtic (16).
![Stuart Kettlewell file photo of Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell, who is looking to tie down the majority of his squad before pre-season as he revealed every player knows where they stand ahead of Sunday s final game - 22/04/2023 [on July 26, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/30/stuart-kettlewell_1.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Stuart Kettlewell file photo of Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell, who is looking to tie down the majority of his squad before pre-season as he revealed every player knows where they stand ahead of Sunday s final game - 22/04/2023 [on July 26, 2024]")
© Imago
Coincidentally, Motherwell's tally of nine points from a possible 21 on the road is also the fourth-best record of its kind in the current Scottish Premiership season, but their road powers failed them and then some during their visit to Dens Park on Wednesday.
Stuart Kettlewell's men needed just five minutes to restore parity after Oluwaseun Adewumi's strike as Apostolos Stamatelopoulos bagged his second strike of the season, but a Scott Tiffoney goal and Lyall Cameron brace condemned Motherwell to another chastening loss.
Kettlewell has now presided over three straight losses for Saturday's visitors, who have also been conquered by Ross County (2-1) and Hibernian (0-3) to drop to sixth spot in the placements, only one point above St Mirren but with a game in hand on their upcoming opponents.
The Steelmen's drubbing at the hands of Dundee prolonged a worrying defensive sequence in which they have gone 14 games without a clean sheet in all competitions, and their only shut-out in their last 28 Premiership fixtures came on the opening day of the current campaign against Ross County.
However, Motherwell ran out 2-1 victors over St Mirren when the sides clashed earlier in the campaign, a result that snapped the Steelmen's four-match winless run against Saturday's hosts, but Motherwell have failed to score in their last three trips to the SMISA Stadium.
Team News
© Imago
St Mirren centre-back Fraser was made to take the walk of shame for denying Louis Moult a clear goalscoring opportunity against Dundee United, but the hosts have now succeeded with an appeal against the 30-year-old's dismissal.
Fraser will therefore be fine to take his place in the hosts' back three on Saturday, but Charles Dunne (hamstring) is still out, and Alex Iacovitti needs a late assessment.
Despite only netting once in his last nine Scottish Premiership appearances, Toyosi Olusanya remains a constant fixture in the St Mirren XI and should keep Mikael Mandron at bay again.
Meanwhile, Motherwell's losing streak has coincided with an injury crisis for Kettlewell to work around, as Tom Sparrow (ankle), Stephen O'Donnell (hamstring), Ross Callachan (hamstring), Paul McGinn (thigh), Callum Slattery (knee), Sam Nicholson (knee) and Jack Vale (calf) are all sidelined.
The Steelmen also confirmed a devastating blow for Zach Robinson on Tuesday, as the 22-year-old striker ruptured his Achilles tendon during a slow-paced training exercise and is not expected to play again this season.
In Robinson's absence, Stamatelopoulos and Tony Watt should link arms at the tip of the Motherwell attack, and it would not be a surprise to see Andy Halliday recalled to the engine room.
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Balcombe; Gogic, Taylor, Fraser; Bwomono, O'Hara, Phillips, Tanser; McMenamin, Olusanya, Kiltie
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Oxborough; Gordon, Balmer, Casey; Tavares, Wilson, Halliday, Miller, Seddon; Watt, Stamatelopoulos
We say: St Mirren 2-1 Motherwell
Ravaged by injuries and giving away goals at will, Motherwell are unlikely to enjoy a successful jaunt to St Mirren on Saturday, especially as they are also battling midweek fatigue.
The hosts had every right to feel hard done by against Dundee United, and we expect them to get straight back on track here, leapfrogging the visitors in the table in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
