Motherwell are set to host Dundee United at Fir Park on Friday evening in their quarter-final tie of the 2024-25 Scottish League Cup.
The hosts narrowly beat Kilmarnock 1-0 after extra time in the last round, while the visitors beat St Mirren to progress into the quarter-finals.
Match preview
Having missed out on a place in the championship playoffs in each of the last two seasons, finishing eighth in the pre-split Scottish Premiership on both occasions, Motherwell would have set a pre-season aim to return to the top six this campaign.
Stuart Kettlewell, who has been in charge since February 2023, has led his team to a fair start in their quest for that top-six finish, currently sitting fifth after five matches with seven points, courtesy of two wins and a draw.
As for the Scottish League Cup, Motherwell narrowly progressed out of their group with nine points, one point more than second-placed Partick Thistle, after winning three of their four group games.
They were handed a difficult matchup against Kilmarnock in the second round, with the game being forced into extra-time before a 95th-minute goal from Moses Ebiye secured them a place in the quarter-finals.
After losing to Aberdeen 2-1 in their last outing, bringing an end to a three-game winning streak for Motherwell, Kettlewell will be hoping his side can bounce back with a win in a competition they have enjoyed participating in so far this season.
Dundee Utd are likely to prove a challenging task for the hosts, with the visitors enjoying a phenomenal start to their first term back in the Scottish top flight after earning promotion as champions from the second division last year.
Jim Goodwin's men started their campaign with a disappointing defeat to Falkirk in the group stage of this competition, but three wins in the remaining group stage matches saw them progress in second place.
Goodwin's side continued that impressive form in the opening stages of the league season, drawing their first two games before beating St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup and recording back-to-back victories against St Johnstone and Hearts in the league.
Dundee Utd eventually suffered their second defeat of the term in their last outing, losing 1-0 to Rangers, and Goodwin will now be aiming to return to winning ways against Motherwell on Friday.
These two sides have shared the spoils in their recent meetings, with both sides winning twice in the last five matchups across all competitions, with the remaining fixture ending 0-0.
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Team News
The hosts are dealing with several injuries ahead of this quarter-final tie with Dundee United, leaving Kettlewell without up to seven players for selection.
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Callum Slattery, Filip Stuparevic, Johnny Koutroumbis, Sam Nicholson and Shane Blaney are all expected to be out of the side, though all six are likely to return sometime this month.
Harry Paton will also be unavailable, with the midfielder not anticipated to make a return to the side until at least November due to an ankle injury.
As for Dundee Utd, Ryan Strain is not anticipated to make his return from a hamstring injury he sustained earlier this campaign until late October.
Kevin Holt is also likely to be rested after the midfielder managed just 34 minutes in the match against Rangers before being forced off due to an injury issue he sustained against Hearts at the beginning of the month.
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Oxborough; McGinn, Gordon, Casey; O'Donnell, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Wilson; Miller, Maswanhise; Robinson
Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Walton; Adegboyega, Gallagher, Graham; Stephenson, Docherty, Sibbald, Ferry; Babunski, Trapanovski; Van der Sande
We say: Motherwell 1-2 Dundee United
These two sides appear extremely evenly matched heading into this quarter-final tie, but with the visitors still riding high on confidence after a brilliant start to their return to the top flight, we expect a win for Dundee United.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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