Dundee United will be hoping to bounce back from their Scottish Cup semi-final heartache with a victory when they host Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, the Steelmen are looking to win four successive top-flight matches for the first time since February 2019.
Match preview
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Dundee United were unable to reach their first domestic cup final since 2015, as they lost 2-0 in their Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibernian at Hampden Park last weekend.
Kevin Nisbet's brilliant strike from outside the penalty area broke the deadlock just before the half-hour mark, before Christian Doidge added a second midway through the second half to inflict defeat on the Tangerines, who are still searching for their first major trophy since 2010.
Manager Micky Mellon admitted that the better side progressed into the final, but was frustrated that Hibernian's second goal was allowed to stand, describing the decision not to flag Doidge offside when he was put through on goal as a "shocker".
Dundee United now turn their attention back to the Scottish Premiership and, having already ensured survival after their promotion to the top flight last season, the Tangerines will be looking to finish as high as seventh heading into the final two games of the campaign.
Mellon's men have only lost one of their last seven top-flight home games against Motherwell, although they are winless in their most recent encounters at Tannadice, losing 3-0 in February 2016 and securing a 1-1 draw in December 2020.
Victory for Dundee United on Wednesday evening would remarkably be only their second in their last 18 midweek fixtures in the Scottish Premiership, but it could see them climb above the Steelmen into seventh place.
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Motherwell bounced back from their Scottish Cup quarter-final heartache as they beat relegation-threatened Kilmarnock 2-0 just over a week ago.
Goals from Devante Cole and Stephen O'Donnell either side of half time helped secure all three points for the Steelmen, extending their winning run in the Scottish Premiership to three matches.
Graham Alexander's side sit seventh in the table and they cannot finish any higher now that the league has split into two, although they would better last season's points total of 46 with a win on Wednesday night.
Motherwell have only lost one of their last five Scottish Premiership games against Dundee United, suffering a narrow 1-0 home defeat in August of this season.
Securing a victory in midweek would be their seventh away from home this campaign, the same amount that they managed last season.
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Team News
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Dundee United will be without goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist, who is out for the rest of the season after damaging his wrist.
Defender Declan Glass – who has been out since October with a knee problem – is also unavailable, while midfielder Dillon Powers remains doubtful with concussion.
Mellon may decide to rotate one or two players in his starting lineup and could recall Adrian Sporle and Peter Pawlett at the expense of Jamie Robson and Jeando Fuchs.
Motherwell defender Declan Gallagher is set to start the final two matches of the campaign, before he leaves the club to join Aberdeen on a free transfer this summer.
Either Bevis Mugabi or Ricki Lamie could start alongside Gallagher at centre-back, while Barry Maguire could return to central midfield at the expense Steven Lawless or Sam Foley.
Goalkeeper Scott Fox is back in training after a long-term knee injury but is unlikely to feature before the end of the season.
Trevor Carson, Sherwin Seedorf, Liam Donnelly, Jordan Roberts and Harry Smith are all still out with knee injuries, while Liam Grimshaw (illness) and Eddie Nolan (calf) also remain on the treatment table.
Striker Cole – who has scored five goals in his last six league games, as many as he had in his previous 23 appearances prior to this – is expected to start up front alongside Tony Watt and Chris Long. Only Celtic's Odsonne Edouard (10) has scored more Scottish top-flight goals in 2021 than Cole (nine).
Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Mehmet; Smith, Edwards, Reynolds, Robson; Pawlett, Butcher, Harkes; McNulty, Shankland, Clark
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; O'Donnell, Gallagher, Lamie, McGinley; Campbell, Crawford, Maguire; Watt, Cole, Long
We say: Dundee United 1-1 Motherwell
Both Dundee United and Motherwell have claimed four points in games against each other this season, winning, drawing and losing one match each.
All three games between the two sides have been close encounters and, with little to separate them, a score draw could be on the cards at Tannadice in a repeat of December's result.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
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 45.53%. A win for Dundee United had a probability of 27.81% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Motherwell win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.05%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.95%) and 0-2 (8.55%). The likeliest Dundee United win was 1-0 (8.9%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.62%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 4.7% likelihood.
