Hibernian, looking to extend their six-game unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, are set to take on Motherwell at the Easter Road Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts are seventh in the table with 26 points from their 22 games played, while the visitors are fifth in the standings with 31 points from 22 fixtures.
Match preview
© Imago
Hibernian initially made a promising start to the 2024-25 season as they won three of their four Scottish League Cup group stage fixtures, but they suffered a miserable opening in the Scottish Premiership.
Hibs won just one of their first 14 league matches, losing seven and drawing six in that time, a run that also saw David Gray's men suffer a 3-1 loss to Celtic in the second round of the Scottish League Cup.
Those results left Hibernian firmly in the relegation zone with just nine points after 15 outings, but a recent upturn in form has seen Hibs rapidly ascend the table.
A 3-0 win against Motherwell sparked the beginning of a run that saw Hibs win five, draw two and lose one of their last eight matches, including remaining unbeaten in their last six.
That has seen Gray's men climb into seventh in the standings with 26 points, leaving them three points ahead of 11th-placed Hearts and just a point behind sixth-placed St Mirren.
Now aiming to continue their unbeaten run, Hibernian will take on a Motherwell side that sit fifth in the table with 31 points from 22 games, after nine wins, four draws and nine losses.
The Steelmen may reside in the top six, but Stuart Kettlewell will be disappointed with how inconsistent his side have been in recent weeks, winning just one of their last six outings.
That is an extreme decline from a brilliant start to the campaign that saw Motherwell win eight of their opening 16 league fixtures, alongside one draw and seven defeats.
They are, however, heading into this one having avoided defeat in each of their last two matches, beating Aberdeen 2-0 before drawing 0-0 with Kilmarnock last time out.
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 will be without Kieron Bowie (hamstring), Marvin Ekpiteta (thigh) and Mykola Kukharevych (groin) for this match due to ongoing injury issues, with all three likely to return later this month.
After brilliantly coming from 2-0 down to eventually draw 3-3 with Rangers in their last outing, Gray could opt to name a similar starting team in this one, with Martin Boyle likely to keep his place in attack after scoring twice in that match.
As for the visitors, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (strain), Lennon Miller (ankle), Ross Callachan (hamstring), Steve Seddon (ankle) and Zach Robinson (Achilles tendon) are all ruled out through injury.
Liam Gordon is also a doubt for Motherwell after being taken off just before the hour mark in the 0-0 draw with Kilmarnock in their most recent match, meaning Paul McGinn may come into the starting team.
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Smith; C Cadden, Miller, Kiranga, Iredale, N Cadden; Campbell, Triantis, Kwon; Boyle, Gayle
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Oxborough; Balmer, McGinn, Casey; Kaleta, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Wilson; Maswanhise, Vale; Watt
We say: Hibernian 2-0 Motherwell
Hibernian have had a remarkable upturn in form in the past weeks, and with Motherwell struggling compared to their start to the campaign, we believe the hosts will win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
