Two sides searching for their first win of the season at the second time of asking will lock horns in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday as Motherwell welcome Dundee United to Fir Park.

Motherwell suffered a 1-0 defeat to Ross County on Monday, while recently-promoted Dundee United shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with St Johnstone in their first game back in the top flight.

Match preview

General view of Fir Park, home of Motherwell, from November 2011 © Reuters

Motherwell's 2020-21 Scottish Premiership campaign could not have got off to a more disappointing start as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Ross County in their first game back.

Ross Stewart's first-half penalty was enough to separate the two sides in the Highlands, and Motherwell were unable to restore parity despite having 15 shots on goal, with substitute Callum Lang receiving his marching orders late on to add insult to injury for Steve Robinson.

With Rangers and Celtic both getting off to winning starts in convincing fashion last weekend, the Steelmen must turn their fortunes around quickly if they are to close the gap on the top two this time around.

As Robinson's men gear up for their return to familiar surroundings, they will be looking to win just their second home game from their last seven in the Scottish Premiership - having suffered four defeats in their final six at Fir Park last season.

In contrast, Dundee United marked their return to the big time with a 1-1 draw against St Johnstone, who were forced to play the second half with 10 men.

Nicky Clark opened United's account for the campaign after just six minutes from the penalty spot, but the 10 men of St Johnstone rescued a point through Liam Craig in Micky Mellon's first game in charge of the Terrors.

Dundee United will certainly feel that this was two points dropped rather than one point gained given their extra-man advantage, but for their first game back in the top tier of Scottish football for over four years, a draw is a respectable result nonetheless.

Avoiding an immediate relegation back down to the Championship will be the ultimate aim for Mellon this season, and the Terrors have recently added former Blackpool defender Ryan Edwards to their ranks as United look to ensure survival.

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form: L

Dundee United Scottish Premiership form: D

Team News

Declan Gallagher in action for Motherwell on November 10, 2019 © Reuters

Motherwell striker Lang is suspended owing to the red card he received against Ross County, but the 21-year-old was not expected to start here anyway.

Declan Gallagher gave away the penalty which allowed Ross County to march to victory on the opening day, and the Motherwell skipper will be determined to put things right here.

Robinson could opt to make a couple of changes to his side for the visit of Dundee United, with the likes of Sherwin Seedorf and Allan Campbell both vying for starting roles.

As for Dundee United, Mellon may revert to a four-at-the-back system for the trip to Fir Park, meaning 17-year-old defender Lewis Neilson could drop down to the bench after making his debut against St Johnstone.

Edwards is not expected to feature so soon after his arrival, but Manchester City loanee Luke Bolton is in contention to start on the right-hand side of defence.

Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Carson; Grimshaw, Gallagher, Lamie, McGinley; Campbell, Donnelly; Seedorf, Polworth, Turnbull; White

Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Siegrist; L. Smith, Reynolds, Connolly, Robson; Harkes, Butcher; Appere, Pawlett, C. Smith; Clark

We say: Motherwell 2-0 Dundee United

Dundee United would have no doubt been disappointed not to take all three points in their clash with St Johnstone, while Motherwell will also head into Saturday's game with a point to prove following their recent defeat. That being said, we are backing the Steelmen to give United a harsh welcome back to life in the big time with a routine home victory this weekend.

Top betting tip

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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Motherwell win with a probability of 37.13%. A win for Dundee United had a probability of 37.12% and a draw had a probability of 25.7%.

The most likely scoreline for a Motherwell win was 1-0 with a probability of 9%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.28%) and 2-0 (6.1%). The likeliest Dundee United win was 0-1 (9%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.2%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with an 9% likelihood.