St. Mirren vs Motherwell Prediction: Home team are in better shape

St Mirren aims to secure a consecutive victory as they host Motherwell in a Scottish Premiership contest on Saturday. Positioned in third place, the hosts are in good form. In contrast, Motherwell finds themselves in 15th place, having struggled to secure a win in their last 13 matches.

The St Mirren squad can breathe a sigh of relief following their victory over Ross County last weekend, ending a streak of three consecutive defeats without scoring. The return to home turf proved pivotal, as a Ryan Leak own goal and a Jonah Ayunga strike secured a 2-0 win over Ross County, propelling them up one place from fourth position.

While the victory improved their league standing, the competition in the middle of the table remains tight, with just two points separating third from sixth place. This underscores the importance for St Mirren to consistently gather points if they aspire to break a 35-year absence from European football.

After a successful outing last weekend, St Mirren now has the opportunity to secure back-to-back victories for the first time since September, when they beat Motherwell 1-0 in their last head-to-head encounter before narrowly defeating Hearts. Former Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson will undoubtedly be optimistic about his team's chances, given their strong home record. St Mirren has won five of their eight home league games this season (D2, L1), including three of their last four matches at The SMISA Stadium.

Motherwell is currently locked in a battle to maintain their top-flight status, with only goal difference preventing Stuart Kettlewell's side from falling into the bottom two. The team is on a challenging 13-game winless streak (D5, L8), a run that started with a narrow defeat in their home match against St Mirren back in September.

To secure their first win since September 3, Motherwell needs to address defensive vulnerabilities, having conceded 29 goals in the league this season, giving them the worst defensive record in the top flight. Their struggles extend to scoring goals on the road, with four of their last six away matches ending without finding the net. In total, they have only scored five away goals, with only St Johnstone having scored fewer on their travels in the 2023-24 campaign.

Having lost both of their competitive away meetings with St Mirren this season by a 1-0 scoreline, Motherwell enters the upcoming contest seeking revenge. They aim to replicate the success of their most recent victory over St Mirren, a 2-1 triumph recorded in February of the previous year.

St Mirren has secured two competitive victories over Motherwell this season, and following their confidence-boosting win against St Johnstone last weekend, we anticipate the hosts to secure another narrow victory. Motherwell, currently facing a lack of confidence, poses a challenging but manageable opposition for St Mirren in this upcoming match.