Motherwell make the long trip north from Lanarkshire to face Aberdeen this Saturday afternoon, with new boss Graham Alexander hoping that the Steelmen can build on their home draw last week with title favourites Rangers.

Dons boss Derek McInnes has found himself coming under increasing pressure in recent weeks, and none of it was alleviated by the shock 4-1 defeat away at Ross County last weekend.

Match preview

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes pictured in November 22, 2020 © Reuters

Aberdeen head into this game under something of a cloud despite being in fourth place in the Scottish Premiership table and in contention for a European place.

A banner has appeared outside of Pittodrie calling for McInnes's dismissal, with the Dons having followed up a 2-1 defeat at home to Rangers with that emphatic loss at Ross County.

That banner prompted Dons club legend Willie Miller to mount a staunch defence of McInnes in the Scottish press, with the European Cup Winners' Cup-winning former centre-back declaring that he thinks Aberdeen can finish third in the league and win a cup this season.

Not many Dons fans would currently appear to agree with that assessment, but Aberdeen's form was far from disastrous before their two recent defeats.

Since exiting the League Cup at the hands of St Mirren in November, the Dons were unbeaten in six games before losing their last two.

Aberdeen have finished in the top four every season that McInnes has been in charge, but he desperately needs a win this weekend to start to get the fans back onside, as well as maintain the pressure on third-placed Hibernian in the league table.

New Motherwell boss Graham Alexander has made a solid start to his reign at Fir Park after taking over from Stephen Robinson on January 7.

The Steelmen have played two games since then, both of which have ended in 1-1 draws. The first of those was at St Mirren, and 'Well could consider themselves unlucky to come away from Paisley with just a point after a fine performance.

They gained a much more satisfying point against Rangers last Sunday at Fir Park, leading against table-topping Gers, thanks to a 21st-minute goal from Devante Cole, until Cedric Itten's 79th-minute equaliser.

Alexander and his team are sure to have half an eye on the result from Ibrox on Saturday too, as if Ross County lose to Rangers then the Steelmen can climb above them in the table.

The new manager will want a win, not just to get the first three-pointer of his reign, but also because 'Well have now not won in their last 11 Premiership matches.

They are sure to fancy their chances, having kept a clean sheet in their last three matches against Aberdeen in all competitions.

Aberdeen Scottish Premiership form: WDWDLL

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form: DDLLDD

Team News

Aberdeen are set to welcome back Welsh international Ryan Hedges after the forward missed the defeat in Dingwall after receiving a red card against Rangers.

His presence is sure to provide a lift as he has bagged eight goals in all competitions in 2020-21.

The Dons have a number of injury absentees, however, with Ross McCrorie one of them. The Scotland Under-21 skipper suffered an ankle injury against Ross County that will keep him out for two or three weeks.

Republic of Ireland international Jonny Hayes also has an ankle injury, though he is in with a faint hope of playing this weekend.

Ash Taylor was substituted against the Staggies after half an hour due to a back spasm; he is a doubt for the weekend but may yet recover in time to play a part against Motherwell.

Connor McLennan is definitely out with his ankle injury now requiring the attention of a specialist. Greg Leigh and Dylan McGeouch remain long-term absentees as they recover from hamstring and groin injuries respectively.

For Motherwell, Liam Donnelly remains sidelined with a knee injury, while Charles Dunne's groin injury makes him a doubt.

Goalkeepers Trevor Carson and Scott Fox remain long-term absentees with Liam Kelly, on loan from Queens Park Rangers, set to keep his place between the sticks.

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Hoban, Taylor, Considine; Kennedy, Campbell, Ferguson, Hayes; Wright; Main, Cosgrove

Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; O'Donnell, Mugabi, Gallagher, Carroll; O'Hara, Campbell, Polworth; Seedorf, Cole, Watt

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We say: Aberdeen 1-1 Motherwell

We suspect that Motherwell will record their third successive draw this weekend, with 1-1 a likely outcome.

The Steelmen look a hard side to beat under Alexander's stewardship, while confidence at Aberdeen looks very low, and we cannot see the Dons claiming all three points, even on home soil.

Top betting tip

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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 Aberdeen win with a probability of 39.88%. A win for Motherwell had a probability of 32.9% and a draw had a probability of 27.2%.

The most likely scoreline for an Aberdeen win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.17%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.38%) and 2-0 (7.26%). The likeliest Motherwell win was 0-1 (9.93%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.89%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 7.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Aberdeen would win this match.