Motherwell play host to St Mirren on Saturday afternoon knowing that only a win will do if they want to retain hope of breaking into the top six of the Scottish Premiership standings before the cut-off.
In contrast to their eighth-placed hosts, St Mirren are attempting to defend their fifth position, although they hold an unassailable advantage over Motherwell on that front.
Match preview
Having gone over three months without a win earlier this season, Motherwell felt the need to confirm that Stuart Kettlewell continued to have their backing.
Although Motherwell have not necessarily come close to showing their best form, it has proven to be a shrewd move, with the club now five points clear of the bottom two.
While they suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Aberdeen before the international break, the preceding away victories at Livingston and Rangers lifted the mood at Fir Park.
Before that, a four-game winless streak had included a Scottish Cup exit at Greenock Morton, so Kettlewell deserves credit for moving Motherwell back into a position where they can still sneak into the top six.
Their remaining three games before the cut-off are, ironically, against the teams occupying fifth, sixth and seventh, an ideal scenario to keep their fate in their own hands.
Opponents St Mirren do not have to worry about Motherwell passing them due to a 10-point gap, but they will have concerns over dropping outside of the top six.
Fixtures with Hearts and Celtic follow this contest, raising the stakes when it comes to delivering maximum points on their travels this weekend.
Prior to their recent trip to Kilmarnock, Stephen Robinson's side had been on a three-match undefeated streak, accumulating seven points from games against St Johnstone, Ross County and Aberdeen.
However, it is unclear how they will react to their capitulation in their last game. Despite holding a 2-0 half-time lead, St Mirren conceded an astonishing five times in 18 second-half minutes to lose 5-2 to Kilmarnock, allowing their opponents to move into fourth.
Team News
Andrew Halliday could be brought back into the Motherwell XI, potentially as a replacement for Sam Nicholson in central midfield.
However, Nicholson may retain his place should Lennon Miller not shake off the issue that he sustained while representing Scotland Under-19s.
Harry Paton and Jon Obika remain on the sidelines through injury, while Kettlewell has acknowledged that the players who were on international duty will need to be assessed.
Given the manner of the defeat at Kilmarnock, changes are expected to be made to the St Mirren starting lineup, with Jaden Brown potentially being brought in for a first league start since his January switch from Lincoln City.
Keanu Baccus could return in midfield providing that he is deemed ready to start after international duty with Australia, the same applying to Jonah Ayunga who has been with Kenya.
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Casey, Mugabi, Blaney; O'Donnell, Halliday, Miller, Spittal, McGinn; Bair, Vale
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Hemming; Fraser, Gogic, Dunne; Brown, O'Hara, Boyd-Munce, Tanser; McMenamin, Mandron, Kiltie
We say: Motherwell 2-1 St Mirren
With both teams losing before the international break, confidence will not necessarily be that high. However, with St Mirren conceding five at Kilmarnock, Motherwell will hold the greater belief of posting three points, leading us to back a narrow win for the home side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
body check tags ::
Previews by email
