MOTHERWELL will try to get over their Premier Sports Cup semi-final heartache when they host St Johnstone on Saturday.
The Lanarkshire club looked like they could be on the edge of a major upset when they led Rangers at half time and eventually fell to a last gasp winner to break Well hearts at Hampden.
They could be proud of their efforts, but it's back to their bread and butter when they welcome Saints to Fir Park.
Motherwell have bene going great guns this season and would bite your hand off for their current fifth place finish after a rebuilding job in the summer by Stuart Kettlewell.
They face the Perth outfit who have been under new management after Simo Valakari took charge.
After a delay in getting his visa he started well with a win over Dundee, they have since lost to St Mirren and Hearts.
However, they can be considered very unlucky to lose to the Tynecastle side whose manager Neil Critchley admitted they had been outplayed by the Saints.
But they are just two points off the foot of the table and the Finnish coach will want to get points on the board quickly….starting with a return to his former club.
How the bookies view it: Well odds-on to bounce back.
Motherwell are odds-on across the board with the 10/11 from McBookie.com the best price. St Johnstone can be backed at 3/1 with bet365 and the draw is 13/5 with UniBet.
Recent head to heads: Saints out for revenge
Motherwell have already defeated Saints this season at McDiarmid Park back in August with a 2-1 victory.
However, Saints have got a good record at Fir Park – they have won three out of their last four visits to Lanarkshire.
Players to watch: Miller magic
Lennon Miller captained Motherwell last week at just 18 and the hype is growing with the talented midfielder. Loves a shot from outside the box and takes the penalties. He is 100/30 to score anytime with Betfred.
Veteran striker Nicky Clark scored at both ends of the pitch last week against Hearts. He converted a penalty too and is usually a goal threat. He is 3/1 to score anytime with bet365.
Predicted line-ups:
Motherwell will assess defender Stephen O'Donnell while Paul McGinn, Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson, Harry Paton, Ross Callachan and Jack Vale are all out.
On loan Lewis Neilson should be back for St Johnstone after being ineligible against parent club Hearts last week.
Motherwell: Oxborough, Kaleta, Gordon, Balmer, Casey, Seddon, Miller, Halliday, Wilson, Maswanhise, Stamatelopoulos.
St Johnstone: Rae, Cameron, Sanders, Wright, Douglas, Neilson, Sprangler, Carey, Clark, Sidibeh, Kimpioka.
Anything else catch the eye?
This should be an entertaining affair with goals at both ends and it could very well end up a draw. There's not much between the sides.
Since the arrival of former Well hero Valakiri, Saints have been a good watch and their last three games have seen plenty of goals. And both of Motherwell's games have finished with a 2-1 scoreline.
So, the call is also both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at 6/5 with Ladbrokes.
The visitors do look overpriced and you wonder how much last week's defeat would have taken out of the hosts. Back Saints on the double chance of draw or win at 49/50 with UniBet.
This Scottish Premiership match between Motherwell and St Johnstone will be played on Nov 9, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Motherwell vs St Johnstone prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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