Motherwell shall be looking to end their run of nine games without a victory in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday when they welcome Dundee to Fir Park.
The Dark Blues were held to a goalless draw in midweek, and the club are running out of fixtures in order to fight for their survival, as they remain bottom of the league.
Match preview
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Motherwell have been in difficult form as of late, having failed to pick up three points across their last nine outings, with the December 26 victory against Livingston being the last time they won a game.
The Steelmen were left empty-handed on Wednesday, despite the fact they dominated the fixture with 71% of the possession, having 17 shots on goal, but ultimately it was Ross County who won 1-0 due to a penalty from Joseph Hungbo.
The performances as of late have led to the club slipping down into the bottom six, as they currently find themselves seventh-placed, and that could drop down to ninth with a defeat on Saturday, depending on other results.
Graham Alexander will be demanding more from his players this weekend, especially since they are welcoming Dundee, who have the worst away record in the division.
However, he shall recall the previous meeting between the two teams, as it was the Dark Blues who pulled off an upset, winning 3-0, which is something Motherwell cannot afford to happen again.
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Dundee will be desperate to mirror that result on Saturday as they find themselves 10 points adrift of safety, although they do have one game in hand on the teams above them.
Mark McGhee's men were able to avoid losing on Wednesday, battling out a goalless draw against Hibernian, which is something the squad will take confidence from heading into the weekend.
The Dark Blues have gone three matches in a row without a victory now, which is form that they will want to overcome immediately as the final run for the season takes place.
Dundee could overtake St Johnstone with a victory, depending on the result that the Saints pick up this weekend, and that would help aid battle for safety.
The club have been putting together some impressive performances overall, having only lost three times in their previous eight matches across all competitions, proving they are not going down without a fight.
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Team News
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Barry Maguire was once again missing for Motherwell in midweek, as the only injury issue that the Steelmen are dealing with right now, and his muscle problem will likely keep him out of action again.
Joe Efford dropped out of the starting lineup in that match, and Kevin van Veen could retain his place up front, with Kaiyne Woolery and Connor Shields being either side of him.
Charlie Adam returned to the Dundee team against Hibernian, bringing his experience to the midfield, and after a clean sheet, the club captain could end up being used again.
Cillian Sheridan is still out of action at the moment, but Jordan Marshall was back in the starting XI for the recent draw, while Lee Ashcroft was able to feature from the bench, providing a boost for the squad.
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; O'Donnell, Johansen, Lamie, Carroll; O'Hara, Donnelly, Goss; Woolery, Shields, Van Veen
Dundee possible starting lineup:
Lawlor; Kerr, McGhee, Sweeney, Marshall; McGinn, Adam, Anderson, McMullan; Mullen, McGowan
We say: Motherwell 0-1 Dundee
While Motherwell may technically be the favourites due to their league position, that does not guarantee they will be able to take three points from this match.
Dundee have been fighting and putting together good performances overall, and without the hosts out of form at the moment, this could be a time for them to gain a much-needed win.
Top tip
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 44.45%. A win for Dundee had a probability of 27.91% and a draw had a probability of 27.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Motherwell win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.97%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.66%) and 2-1 (8.62%). The likeliest Dundee win was 0-1 (9.69%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.92%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.9% likelihood.
