Preview: Motherwell vs. Kilmarnock - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts do have to come back from a defeat in their most recent outing in the Scottish League Cup, while Kilmarnock are riding the high of knocking out Celtic.

Match preview

Motherwell kickstarted the campaign with a draw against Dundee, but they followed that up by defeating Hibernian to continue their undefeated start to the campaign.

The Steelmen will be aiming to follow on from that to continue progressing up the division, with a victory having the potential to take them to the top of the league depending on other results.

However, Stuart Kettlewell will need to see an improved performance from his men compared to what they delivered last weekend when they were knocked out of the Scottish League Cup.

Motherwell conceded in the ninth minute as Caolan Boyd-Munce broke the deadlock and they were unable to respond to that in the entire game, mustering just one shot on target.

While the result was a frustrating one, the Steelmen now have a chance to immediately respond to the defeat against a team they are level on points with in the league table.

However, the visitors will prove to be stern opposition in this fxture considering the undefeated run that they are currently enjoying, having not lost in their previous four matches.

Kilmarnock have had several tricky fixtures already this season, but they have proven that they have no problem upsetting the odds by defeating Rangers on the opening day of the campaign.

Killie showcased their resilience again last weekend in the Scottish League Cup when they knocked out Celtic with a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Marley Watkins goal.

The fact that Kilmarnock have already defeated both the Old Firm rivals this season will have provided the team with an injection of confidence, particularly after keeping clean sheets against both.

Derek McInnes has set up his team to be tough to break down, which is reflected by the fact they have three clean sheets in a row, which could prove to be important this weekend.

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:

Motherwell form (all competitions):

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W

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Kilmarnock Scottish Premiership form:

Kilmarnock form (all competitions):

W

L

W

W

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W

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Team News

Motherwell are set to be without Mika Biereth this weekend and for the foreseeable future due to him suffering an ankle injury last weekend in their defeat against St Mirren.

He joins Calum Butcher on the sidelines, who will also miss this fixture as he continues to rehabilitate from a thigh issue.

Watkins will be leading the line for the visitors as he aims to continue his impressive performances for Kilmarnock this weekend.

Considering the recent victory against Celtic it is unlikely that many changes will be made to the starting lineup for Killie, particularly in the defensive structure.

Motherwell possible starting lineup:

Kelly; McGinn, Mugabi, Casey; O'Donnell, Slattery, Miller, Spittal, Souare; Wilkinson, Bair

Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:

Dennis; Mayo, Deas, Findlay; Armstrong, Lyons, Watson, Magennis, Ndaba; Kennedy, Watkins

We say: Motherwell 0-2 Kilmarnock

While Motherwell are undefeated so far in the Scottish Premiership, this weekend could prove to be a difficult test against a team in fantastic form.

Kilmarnock have defeated some of the biggest teams in the division already and have put together some strong defensive displays that could give them an edge here.

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