Motherwell will host Ross County with both sides struggling in the Scottish Premiership. Last time out, the Steelmen shared the spoils with Kilmarnock. The Staggies failed to come away with anything from their matchup with St Johnstone.
Preview (Motherwell vs. Ross County)
Motherwell defeated Kilmarnock at Fir Park on Saturday afternoon to extend their winning streak to five games in all competitions. The hosts had to muster some resilience to make sure they gained anything from the Premiership match. Right-back Lewis Mayo scored his first goal of the 2023–24 season in the 13th minute to give Killie the lead. However, the Steelmen were able to force a share of the spoils when Canadian Theo Bair broke past Will Dennis’ net just before halftime.
Stuart Kettlewell’s team is in 10th place in the Scottish Premiership rankings. They are four points ahead of sixth-place Dundee. They have gained momentum from several loan signings from Premier League rival Burnley. Burnley has only lost once in their past seven Premiership games. With 24-year-old Bair and Mika Biereth, who is currently on loan at Sturm Graz from Arsenal, scoring seven and six league goals respectively this season, two men are currently leading the Steelmen’s Golden Boot race well ahead of the others. Conor Wilkinson, the team’s third-place scorer, has only scored three goals.
Throughout the 90 minutes, the Staggies had the advantage in terms of possession and chances created, but they were unable to break through Dimitar Mitov’s net. Instead, Swedish striker Benjamin Kimpioka scored his first goal in Scotland to give the visitors an uncommon maximum. Following consecutive victories against St. Mirren and Motherwell at the start of December, Derek Adams’s team has had a concerning run of results that has seen them drop to 11th position in the Premiership table, seven points behind sixth-place Dundee and just six clear of Livingston, a team that plays in the bottom.
Team News
Harry Paton and Blair Spittal, the duo from Motherwell, should maintain their spots in the starting lineup after giving goal-scoring Bair excellent support from the wings last time out. Following their bench debuts the previous time out, Leonard Miller and Sam Nicholson are vying for the starting positions against Andrew Halliday and Darvor Zdravkovski. In a two-man attack, Ross County is poised to select a new partner for six-goal striker Murray, with Jordan White expected to make way for Eamonn Brophy. Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, a former Manchester United player, is now on loan at the Staggies from Slask Wroclaw in Poland. On Tuesday night, the center back is expected to start again.
Motherwell 2-1 Ross County
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