St Johnstone are set to host Motherwell at McDiarmid Park on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish FA Cup, with both teams aiming to progress into the fifth round.
The hosts are without a win in their last nine heading into this one, while the visitors have won just three of their past nine across all competitions.
Match preview
© Imago
St Johnstone have endured an extremely disappointing season to date, having secured just seven wins from their opening 28 matches across all competitions, alongside three draws and 18 defeats.
Three of those wins came in the Scottish League Cup group stage, a competition in which the Saints were swiftly eliminated in the second round in a 2-0 defeat to Rangers.
That result coincided with St Johnstone winning just one of their opening five league games, alongside four losses, which resulted in the dismissal of former manager Craig Levein.
After three games under an interim manager, drawing one and losing two, Simo Valakari was eventually hired on a permanent basis, with the new boss initially winning his first two games in charge.
However, St Johnstone have subsequently won just one of their last 13 matches across all competitions, including the Saints being without a win in their past nine outings, with seven defeats and two draws.
Aiming to end that run and secure their progression into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup, something they have failed to achieve since winning the cup in 2020-21, St Johnstone will take on fellow out-of-form Motherwell.
The Steelmen have won just one of their past seven matches heading into this one, alongside three draws and three defeats, a sharp downturn in results compared to the beginning of the campaign.
Stuart Kettlewell's men started the season with 13 wins, one draw and nine defeats, with those results helping them to currently placing fifth in the Scottish Premiership.
Despite their recent difficulties, Motherwell will draw confidence from their recent record against St Johnstone, with the Steelmen having already defeated the Saints twice this campaign, both ending in 2-1 victories.
Motherwell have also not lost in the fourth round of this competition since a 2-1 defeat to Ross County in the 2018-19 season, leaving them with a strong recent record at this stage.
Team News
![Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell during the Premier Sports Cup Group G match at Fir Park against Partick Thistle on 28/07/2024[on August 1, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/31/stuart-kettlewell.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell during the Premier Sports Cup Group G match at Fir Park against Partick Thistle on 28/07/2024[on August 1, 2024]")
© Imago
The hosts are expected to be without Uche Ikpeazu and Sam McClelland due to injury issues, though both are anticipated to return to action later this month.
Twenty-year-old striker Makenzie Kirk has been in superb form for St Johnstone despite their recent struggles, with four goals in his last eight games, and he is likely to lead the line here.
As for the visitors, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Lennon Miller, Ross Callachan, Steve Seddon and Zach Robinson are all ruled out due to ongoing injury concerns.
Paul McGinn is also a doubt for Motherwell after coming off in the 33rd minute of their recent defeat to Hibernian, meaning Dan Casey is likely to start in his place at the heart of defence.
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Fisher; Essel, Sanders, Mikulic; Franczak, Sprangler, Kucheriavyi, Wright; Clark; Kirk, Mbunga-Kimpioka
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Mair; Balmer, Casey, Blaney; O'Donnell, Andrews, Halliday, Sparrow, Kaleta; Watt, Maswanhise
We say: St Johnstone 1-2 Motherwell
Both teams may be struggling in recent weeks, but the visitors will draw confidence from their two victories over St Johnstone this term, leading us to believe Motherwell will win here.
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Ellis Stevens
