Motherwell's resurgence under Stuart Kettlewell will be put to the test when they host Rangers in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday lunchtime.

The Well pulled further clear of the relegation zone with a victory over fellow strugglers Ross County last time out, while Rangers battled past second-tier Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.

Match preview

It was the embarrassment of getting so convincingly beaten by Raith Rovers in the cup which finally prompted Motherwell's board to part ways with manager Stevie Hammell in February.

Initially, Kettlewell was only appointed as caretaker manager, but consecutive victories against St Mirren and third-placed Hearts led to a permanent role.

In four games under the Glasgow-born 38-year-old - the youngest manager in the Scottish top flight - Motherwell have collected 10 points, as many as they had earned across the previous 18 Premiership matches.

Kettlewell has hauled the Well from joint-bottom up to ninth, with a healthy six-point buffer to the relegation playoff spot and nine points clear of 12th-placed Dundee United.

Michael Beale has enjoyed similar success to Kettlewell since taking over Rangers - winning 15 of his 17 matches at the helm - yet the chasm to Celtic at the Premiership summit is the same nine-point gap he inherited, and his only defeat was against the club's bitter rivals in the Scottish League Cup final.

Rangers have responded to that Hampden disappointment by winning their subsequent three matches, rattling in 10 goals along the way, but the level of performance has wildly swung between competent and commanding.

It was more of the former in a "flat" 3-0 win against the Rovers last weekend which Beale admitted "was not one that got the pulses racing".

Motherwell have not beaten Rangers in the Scottish top flight in eight years, last recording a victory against the Gers in 2015, which kept the Steelmen in the Premiership at the expense of the Glasgow giants.

That distant 3-0 win was the last time Motherwell have kept a league clean sheet against Rangers, with the Lanarkshire outfit shipping 16 goals across the previous five meetings between the two clubs.

Team News

Motherwell may have enjoyed a weekend off while the Scottish Cup quarter-finals were contested, but that was nowhere near enough time for Jake Carroll to regain fitness as the left-back is in the early stages of a lengthy recovery process from knee surgery.

January arrivals Mikael Mandron and Shane Blaney have scarcely featured since their winter moves from Gillingham and Sligo Rovers respectively with injuries that are likely to sideline them again this weekend.

Striker Joseph Efford, who joined the Well in January 2022, ruptured his thigh muscle in October, fighting for space in Motherwell's treatment room with the rarely spotted Nathan McGinley.

Rangers' Ridvan Yilmaz has returned from injury just in time to replace Borna Barisic, as the left-back is set to jet off to Croatia for the birth of his child.

Kemar Roofe is out for the rest of the season after undergoing hip surgery, joining long-term absentees Tom Lawrence (knee), Steven Davis (cruciate ligament) and Nnamdi Ofoborh (heart).

Centre-back Filip Helander is also expected to be sidelined until the end of March while he nurses a foot problem.

Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Butcher, Casey, McGinn; Johnston, Goss, Slattery, Furlong; Spittal; Obika, Van Veen

Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Yilmaz; Raskin, Jack, Cantrell; Kent, Colak, Sakala

We say: Motherwell 0-2 Rangers

Motherwell's assistant manager Stephen Frail insisted that there is "a wee energy and a buzz about the club" after the positive results, but the in-form hosts will surely have their bubble burst by a Rangers side that may not always sparkle but have consistently collected results under Beale.


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