Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Preview: Ross County vs. Motherwell - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 2 March 2023, 20:51
The Scottish Premiership continues this weekend as Ross County face Motherwell at Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon.

The encounter could be a key one in the battle to avoid the drop, with these two sides sitting next to each other in the bottom half of the division - the hosts are 10th and Motherwell are 11th in the Scottish Premiership table.

Match preview

The Staggies come into this match off the back of a thumping 4-0 win at home to Dundee United last Saturday.

A virtuoso performance from St Mirren loanee Eamonn Brophy was central to County's victory - the 26-year-old striker scored twice and assisted the other two goals for ex-Swansea City midfielder Yan Dhanda and Jordan White, respectively.

County's victory against United was much needed as it ended a run of three matches without a win for Malky Mackay's side.

The Dingwall outfit are still only four points clear of the dreaded 12th place, so they are in desperate need of the points against Motherwell to give themselves some extra breathing space.

Ross County are unbeaten in their last three matches at Victoria Park, with the first of those games being a 3-0 success over Kilmarnock on 28 January. The two victories for County in this period were as many as they managed in their previous 15 games, a spell which included 10 losses.

A third triumph in four games in front of their own fans on Saturday will take them level on points with their visitors, and it would also be the first time they have recorded consecutive home wins in the league since March 2022.

Despite their recent home successes, Ross County's tally of 24 goals is the second-lowest in the division, and The Staggies will need Brophy to replicate his performance against Dundee in the remaining games of the season if they are to remain clear of danger.

Stuart Kettlewell will become only the second manager to manage both for and against Ross County in the top flight when he takes charge of the Steelmen on Saturday, after John Hughes, having overseen 58 Scottish Premiership games as County boss from 2018 to 2020.

As often happens upon the arrival of a new manager, Motherwell have experienced an upturn in form since the 38-year-old was appointed on February 22 - the seven points they have taken in his three league games in charge is more than they managed in the previous 15 before he joined, a run of results that included only a solitary victory and one that plunged them into relegation danger.

The Lanarkshire outfit come into this game off the back of a 1-1 draw away at Kilmarnock last weekend, when a stoppage-time free kick from Callum Slattery earned Motherwell a point after Scott Robinson had opened the scoring for Killie in the first half.

The side from Fir Park will aim to take the momentum from that last-gasp draw and from their last three outings into the meeting with County, but they are winless in their last four away games, losing three of those. A maiden away victory under Kettlewell's stewardship on Saturday will take them six points clear of their hosts.

Motherwell won this fixture 5-0 last season with Kevin van Veen bagging a hat-trick. Van Veen is the leading goalscorer for the Steelmen this season and the Dutch forward is aiming to record the highest league goals tally for a season in his career - he is currently five goals short of the 16 he managed for Belgian side FC OSS in 2014-15.

The Steelmen have won on their last two visits to Victoria Park, and have the chance to record three-straight triumphs over County for the first time in their history on Saturday.

Ross County Scottish Premiership form:

D

W

D

L

L

W

Ross County form (all competitions):

L

W

D

L

L

W

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:

L

L

L

W

W

D

Motherwell form (all competitions):

L

L

L

W

W

D

Team News

Ross County will be without midfielder Ben Paton who is continuing his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury, so Malky Mackay will field his usual 4-2-2-2 formation on Saturday.

White and Brophy will continue their partnership upfront against Motherwell and will hope to both find the net for the second week in a row.

Dhanda and Gwion Edwards will support the forwards from the flanks, and Nohan Kenneh will protect the defence alongside Victor Loturi.

Motherwell left-back Jake Carroll will be out of the meeting with County after undergoing knee surgery.

Callum Slattery is pushing for a starting berth upfront alongside Van Veen after scoring the equaliser off the bench last weekend.

Ross County possible starting lineup:

Laidlaw; Randall, Baldwin, Iacovitti, Harmon; Kenneh, Loturi; Edwards, Dhanda; Brophy, White

Motherwell possible starting lineup:

Kelly; Butcher, Casey, McGinn; Johnston, Cornelius, Goss, Furlong; Spittal; Van Veen, Slattery

We say: Ross County 2-1 Motherwell

Despite Motherwell's recent upswing under their new manager, Ross County will be confident of extending their winning run at home due to their visitors' struggles on the road.

County's need for the points is slightly more urgent than Motherwell's and that may just give them the edge in this encounter.

Previews by email

Top News

25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Closing out the first round of post-Christmas Premier League fixtures, Arsenal and Ipswich Town engage in an Emirates battle on Friday evening. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two iconic north-west clubs meet in the Premier League on Boxing Day, looking to move further up the standings from where they currently are, when Manchester City welcome Everton to the Etihad. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa midfielder Emiliano Buendia may reportedly make the switch to Leeds United during the January transfer window. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Bromwich Albion have confirmed that Carlos Corberan has left the club to become the new manager of Valencia. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah could hit yet another new Premier League goalscoring milestone when the Reds host Leicester City in their Boxing Day battle at Anfield. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has lost captain Sam Morsy to suspension ahead of Friday's Premier League clash with Arsenal at the Emirates. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal temporarily begin life without Bukayo Saka when Ipswich Town arrive at the Emirates for Friday's Premier League showdown. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The curtain closes on the festive round of Premier League fixtures at the Emirates Stadium, where title outsiders Arsenal and relegation candidates Ipswich Town lock horns on Friday evening. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Is there a more satisfying sight in football than a sweetly-struck volley ripping into the back of the net? 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City must beat Everton on Boxing Day and end their dire form considering they face a relatively unthreatening opponent, Steven McInerney of Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City must beat Everton on Boxing Day and end their dire form considering they face a relatively unthreatening opponent, Steven McInerney of Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler is close to welcoming back many first-team players ahead of the visit of Brentford to the Amex on Friday. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Brentford to the Amex in one of two games being played after Boxing Day in the Premier League. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham will attempt a 45-year winless run when they face West London neighbours Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Erling Haaland is preparing to leave Manchester City in the summer, with the Norwegian expressing dissatisfaction behind the scenes, according to reports. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final match on a jam-packed Boxing Day in the Scottish Premiership will come from the SMISA Stadium in Paisley, where St Mirren will be playing host to Rangers. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming for a fourth consecutive League One victory at the New York Stadium, Rotherham United welcome Wigan Athletic on Boxing Day, keen to secure maximum points in gameweek 22. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid forward Rodrygo reportedly down a lucrative offer from Manchester City in the summer to stay in Spain. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Boxing Day brings us a bottom-half clash in the Scottish Premiership with Dundee set to take on a struggling Ross County at The Scot Foam Stadium at Dens Park. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In a promotion 'six-pointer', Huddersfield Town are set to host Stockport County at John Smith's Stadium on Boxing Day in League One. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are supposedly likely to have the chance to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani on loan in January after Bukayo Saka's injury. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two places separate Edinburgh rivals Hearts and Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership table heading into gameweek 19's Boxing Day derby at Tynecastle Park. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A stuttering Aberdeen will be hoping for some post-Christmas cheer when they travel to the BBSP Stadium Rugby Park to face Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Thursday. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As families up and down the country tuck into their turkey leftovers, 20 Premier League teams will be putting on a festive spectacle across December 26 and 27, including eight intriguing Boxing Day battles. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will reportedly set an asking price of £40m for Marcus Rashford in the upcoming January transfer window. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embattled St Johnstone will be aiming to end a four-match winless run as they welcome Dundee United to McDiarmid Park for a Boxing Day clash in the Scottish Premiership. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Crystal Palace are prepared to welcome Eberechi Eze back to their matchday squad for the Premier League trip to Bournemouth on Boxing Day. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Queens Park Rangers will head to South Wales for a Championship encounter against Swansea City on Boxing Day. 24 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The "resurrected" Gabriel Jesus should be Arsenal's first-choice centre-forward over the festive period after his pair of attacking masterclasses against Crystal Palace, according to Gunners expert Charles Watts.