St Mirren host Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday evening, hoping to extend their unbeaten run against the visitors to six matches.
Meanwhile, the Steelmen have conceded seven goals in their previous two matches but do head to Paisley having won two of their last three away games.
Match preview
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St Mirren extended their winless run to four league matches as they played out a 1-1 draw at home to Livingston last weekend.
Cameron MacPherson's brilliant left-footed strike from the edge of the penalty area brought the Buddies back into the game after Connor McCarthy's unfortunate own goal in the eighth minute.
Jim Goodwin's side eventually had to settle for just a point for the third successive game, which leaves St Mirren in sixth place, five points behind the Lions in fifth.
The Paisley outfit have recently endured a mixed run of form, claiming six points from their last six matches with their only victory this month at home to struggling Kilmarnock.
St Mirren will fancy their chances of turning their inconsistent form around when they face Motherwell on Wednesday, as they are unbeaten in each of their last five meetings against them, including both encounters earlier this campaign.
The Buddies are the highest placed side in the Scottish Premiership who have only won three games or fewer at home so far this season, but a victory in midweek on home soil could consolidate their place inside the top six, moving them four points clear of seventh-placed Dundee United.
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Motherwell have been dragged right back into a relegation battle after a second successive home defeat, which has left manager Graham Alexander "concerned" about his side's prospects for the rest of the season.
A 4-1 loss to basement club Hamilton was followed by a disappointing 3-0 defeat against St Johnstone last weekend, highlighting the Steelmen's defensive frailties once again.
Motherwell have kept just one clean sheet in their last 12 Scottish Premiership matches and have the third worst goal difference in the league behind the Accies and Ross County.
The North Lanarkshire outfit – who remain in ninth place and five points behind St Johnstone in eighth – will be ominously looking over their shoulders, after Ross County's surprise victory against Celtic on Sunday now sees the Steelmen just four points above the bottom two.
With up to 14 first-team players absent, Alexander is aware of the challenges ahead for the rest of the season and knows how important a few positive results will be in steering them away from danger.
Motherwell head into Wednesday's clash unbeaten in each of their last five visits to St Mirren, with their most recent trip to Paisley ending as a 1-1 draw in January.
Claiming three precious points away from home could provide a huge boost to the Steelmen squad, who would move seven points clear of Kilmarnock, a team they face in just over three weeks' time.
St Mirren Scottish Premiership form: LWLDDD
Motherwell Scottish Premiership form: WWLWLL
Team News
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St Mirren's key midfielder Jamie McGrath is unavailable for selection after dislocating his shoulder in the defeat at Celtic, while striker Eamonn Brophy has a fractured foot that will keep him out for the rest of the season.
Midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes (ankle) and forward Collin Quaner (knee) are both set to be sidelined for a few weeks with injuries.
Kyle McAllister and Lee Erwin are two players that could be brought into the starting lineup at the expense of Ryan Flynn and Dylan Connolly.
As for Motherwell, their lengthy injury list saw Graham Alexander name only seven players on his bench for the defeat against St Johnstone and the Steelmen are likely to have a similar predicament on Wednesday.
Allan Campbell, Mark O'Hara and Liam Grimshaw are all out with illness, not related to coronavirus, while Bevis Mugabi remains out after dislocating his shoulder against Hamilton.
Liam Donnelly, Charles Dunne and Steven Lawless are all sidelined with knee problems, Scotland international Declan Gallagher is out with a hamstring injury and goalkeepers Scott Fox and Trevor Carson remain out for the rest of the season with serious knee injuries.
Another concern is that midfielder Barry Maguire is just one booking away from a suspension, something that the Steelmen will be keen for him avoid at this present time.
However, one positive is that Stephen O'Donnell is back from suspension after his red card against the Accies and he is expected to start at right-back.
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy; Tait, MacPherson, Erhahon, Durmus; McAllister; Obika, Erwin
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; O'Donnell, Magloire, Lamie, Carroll; Crawford, Polworth, Maguire; Long, Watt, Cole
We say: St Mirren 2-1 Motherwell
Only Ross County have scored fewer goals than Motherwell in the league so far this campaign, however the Steelmen have managed to find the net in each of their last nine visits to St Mirren.
Neither side are in great form heading into Wednesday's encounter, but with the visitors travelling to Paisley with a depleted squad, we expect Jim Goodwin's side to edge out their opponents once again.
Top 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 Motherwell win with a probability of 39.55%. A win for St Mirren had a probability of 32.81% and a draw had a probability of 27.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Motherwell win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.57%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.25%) and 0-2 (7.32%). The likeliest St Mirren win was 1-0 (10.3%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.03%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 9.2% likelihood.
