Two teams looking to end winless runs in the Scottish Premiership are set to come together on Sunday afternoon when Motherwell play host to Aberdeen at Fir Park.
The hosts are sixth in the table with 27 points from their 20 fixtures, while the visitors are fourth in the standings with 34 points from their 20 games played.
Match preview
![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
After finishing eighth in the pre-split table in each of the last two seasons, Motherwell would have been aiming to return to the top half of the Scottish Premiership standings this term.
Stuart Kettlewell's men have made good on this objective so far, but their status in the top six has been increasingly at risk due to their ongoing slump in form over the past weeks.
The Steelmen currently sit sixth in the table with 27 points from their 20 matches played, after eight wins, three draws and nine losses, but their recent run of four games without a win has allowed seventh-placed Hibernian to close the gap to just two points.
However, Motherwell have played a game fewer than both seventh-placed Hibernian and fifth-placed St Mirren, who are also on 27 points, but they will still want to return to winning ways here to avoid potentially dropping into the bottom half.
A matchup with also struggling Aberdeen could provide the perfect chance for one of these sides to break their winless streaks, with the Dons heading into this one without a victory of their own in the past nine outings.
That marks a considerable downturn from the phenomenal start to the season that Aberdeen enjoyed, which saw Jimmy Thelin's side remain unbeaten in their opening 16 matches across all competitions, winning 15 and drawing one.
They suffered their first defeat of the campaign in a humiliating 6-0 loss to Celtic in the Scottish League Cup semi-final, and while they initially bounced back with a 4-1 win against Dundee, they have since gone without a win in the subsequent nine outings.
The Dons have now lost six and drawn three of their last nine, including suffering defeats in all of their last four matches, resulting in them slipping down the table and into fourth place.
Thelin will be desperate for his side to stop the ongoing streak and avoid slipping any further down the standings, leaving Aberdeen hoping to secure their fourth consecutive win against the Steelmen.
Team News
© Imago
The hosts will be without the services of Callum Slattery (knee), Lennon Miller (ankle) and Ross Callachan (hamstring) for this match due to ongoing injury issues.
A disappointing performance against Hearts in their last outing saw Kettlewell make multiple changes at half-time, and the manager is likely to make further changes here.
As for Aberdeen, they are unable to call upon Jack Milne (ankle), Pape Habib Gueye (muscle) and Vicente Besuijen for this match, while Ester Sokler is also a doubt.
Elsewhere, despite falling to defeat against Dundee, there were signs of improvement in Aberdeen's performance, meaning Thelin could name a similar side in this one.
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Oxborough; Casey, Gordon, Blaney; O'Donnell, Halliday, Zdravkovski, Wilson; Ebiye, Vale; Watt
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Doohan; Devlin, MacDonald, Molloy, Mackenzie; Clarkson, Shinnie; Keskinen, McGrath, Duk; Nisbet
We say: Motherwell 1-1 Aberdeen
Both sides will be eager to get back to winning ways and end their ongoing winless streaks here, leading us to expect a tightly-contested encounter, and for that reason, we believe this one will end all square.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
