Motherwellvs.Livingston

They travel to face Motherwell in a game of high importance at the bottom end of the table.

Match preview

Motherwell kicked off the second phase of the Scottish Premiership with a 1-0 defeat against Aberdeen. The Steelmen struggled to cope with having only 10 men early in the second half.

Stefan Gartenmann scored for the Dons just four minutes after Jack Vale had been sent off as Motherwell failed to react to the immediate aftermath of that decision.

Despite that, they still have the opportunity to overtake Aberdeen in the league table with three points this weekend, provided the Dons do not win their respective matches.

While Motherwell focuses on their aspirations this weekend, considering the relegation permutations surrounding them, all eyes will be on their opponents.

With just four matches left, every game will now be like a cup final for the Lions, which starts on Saturday as the club will be relegated if they lose, and Ross County also avoid being beaten.

In addition, Livingston will also confirm their fate if they draw, Ross County wins, and St Johnstone avoids defeat, which means fans will eagerly watch several other games on Saturday.

David Martindale is likely to concentrate on his own team, though, and what they can control, which is winning their match.

That would extend their life in the Scottish top flight by at least one more game, and a performance like last weekend would help achieve that.

The Lions picked up a crucial win in a true six-pointer against Ross County as Bruce Anderson and Sean Kelly's goals secured the 2-0 result that gave their fans a glimmer of hope.

While Livingston's great escape is technically still possible, there is no margin for error between now and the end of the season, and the squad is forced to work together to provide some near-perfect performances.

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:

W

L

D

W

D

L

Livingston Scottish Premiership form:

D

L

L

D

L

W

Livingston form (all competitions):

L

L

L

D

L

W

Team News

Motherwell will be without Vale this weekend following his red card during their most recent outing, which could allow Andy Halliday to start.

Barry Maguire, Harry Paton, and Callum Slattery are all dealing with injury issues at the moment as well and are expected to miss out.

Anderson has recently revealed that there are offers on the table for him to leave Livingston this summer. Therefore, the striker will attempt to impress his suitors with another positive individual performance to help his club avoid the drop.

Livingston will be able to welcome Tete Yengi back into the squad following suspension, and he could be in contention to return to the starting lineup immediately.

Martindale does have several injury concerns, though. James Penrice and Andrew Shinnie are dealing with hip and groin problems, respectively, while Cristian Montano is another player out of action due to a muscle situation.

Motherwell possible starting lineup:

Kelly; Casey, Blaney, McGinn; O'Donnell, Miller, Zdravkovski, Gent, Spittal; Halliday, Bair

Livingston possible starting lineup:

George; Kelly, Obileye, Devlin, Nottingham; Brandon, Kelly, Holt; Mackay, Pittman, Anderson

We say: Motherwell 1-2 Livingston

It is set tobe a game fueled by emotions, and with so much on the line for Livingston, there is no doubt that they will be giving everything they have in this one.

Considering their positive performance last weekend the Lions should head into the game with confidence that could lead to them getting another victory.

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