Fifth faces sixth as Dundee United host Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, with the Tangerines hoping to secure back-to-back victories for the first time this season.
The Steelmen, meanwhile, ended a run of four successive losses with a 0-0 draw at home to Aberdeen in midweek.
Match preview
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Dundee United moved up to fifth in the Scottish Premiership with a comfortable 2-0 win over Kilmarnock on Wednesday evening.
Manager Micky Mellon would have been pleased to see both Marc McNulty and Lawrence Shankland on the scoresheet as the Tangerines have been heavily reliant on forward Nicky Clark, who has seven of their 16 league goals this campaign.
Wednesday's triumph was just their fourth win in 15 matches, although United have won three of their last four home games and have only lost two of their last nine fixtures in the top flight.
Dundee United are winless in their last 10 Scottish Premiership matches on Boxing Day. Their last such win however was at home to Motherwell back in 1996.
Securing the three points on Saturday could see Mellon's men consolidate fifth spot, moving five points clear of the Steelmen, who sit one place below them.
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Motherwell's poor run of form in the league continued as an uneventful encounter at Fir Park ended goalless on Wednesday evening.
Steve Robinson's side have failed to win any of their last seven matches in all competitions, five of which have been at home.
The Steelmen however travel to Tannadice on Saturday with a better record on the road, winning four of their nine Scottish Premiership away fixtures.
This will be Motherwell's first top-flight away game at Dundee United since a 3-0 win in February 2016 under former boss Mark McGhee.
The Steelmen have won their last two away league matches against newly-promoted sides, winning against St Mirren in February 2019 and Ross County in December 2019. They last won three consecutive away games against promoted sides in the top flight back in February 2001.
Motherwell, who have won three of their last four Scottish Premiership matches on Boxing Day, could move back into fifth spot above the Tangerines with a victory on Saturday.
Dundee United Scottish Premiership form: DWLLDW
Dundee United form (all competitions): DWLLDW
Motherwell Scottish Premiership form: LDLLLD
Motherwell form (all competitions): DLLLLD
Team News
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Dundee United's top goalscorer Nicky Clark, who has been self-isolating, could be in contention to start on Saturday, which could see one of Marc McNulty or Lawrence Shankland drop to the bench.
Midfielders Logan Chalmers (ankle) and Declan Glass (knee) both remain sidelined with injuries.
Motherwell defenders Charles Dunne (groin) and Liam Donnelly (knee) are also both out with injuries.
Jordan Archer is expected to remain in goal with both Trevor Carson and Scott Fox long-term absentees.
Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Siegrist; Smith, Connolly, Reynolds, Robson; Bolton, Butcher, Fuchs, Sporle; Shankland, Clark
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Archer; O'Donnell, Mugabi, Gallagher, Grimshaw; O'Hara, Crawford, Campbell; Lang, Watt, Cole
We say: Dundee United 1-1 Motherwell
None of the last 10 Scottish Premiership games between Dundee United and Motherwell have been drawn, with the Tangerines winning seven and losing three. With both sides struggling for consistency, a draw could be on the cards this weekend.
Top betting 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 Dundee United win with a probability of 38.21%. A win for Motherwell had a probability of 34.2% and a draw had a probability of 27.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Dundee United win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.22%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.11%) and 2-0 (6.98%). The likeliest Motherwell win was 0-1 (10.47%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.03%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13% likelihood.
