Motherwell made it in to the top six of the Scottish Premiership in the closing minutes of their 2-2 draw with Livingston having fought back from 2-0 down, those expecting an easy afternoon and for the Steelmen to already be thinking about their holidays could be in for a bit of a surprise.
We know what we will get off Graham Alexander’s side. They will be physical, direct and they will get as many men as possible behind the ball as they attempt to get themselves into an unlikely European place but we have seen what we need to do to beat them this season.
When we play with pace, intensity and more the ball quickly, they can’t deal with it. The 2-2 draw at Ibrox was a shocker in that we should have been out of sight and gifted them two incredibly soft goals, the type of goals that we have conceded too many times since January and, probably, cost us the league.
Having a free mid-week will have helped our preparations but I suspect that Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have one eye on the next few games, as a result, this is who I think he will go with at Fir Park:
Starting strong, Gio then has the option of bringing on the likes of James Sands, Leon King and Alex Lowry to keep key players fresh, being allowed nine substitutes on the bench, there is no reason why Cedric Itten shouldn’t come in from the cold too, after all, we don’t have many strikers left with Kemar Roofe out.
I’d expect Fashion Sakala to play centrally with Wright tucking in on the right which will create more space for James Tavernier on the overlap, we are going to dominate the ball so the skipper should get plenty of opportunity to get forward, plus, with Borna Barisic on the other side, late runs into the box could make him a decent shout for first goalscorer.
The only area I’m not really sure about is midfield, the gaffer could totally rotate and play Sands, Glen Kamara and Steven Davis but there isn’t a great deal of creativity in that three, I’d expect John Lundstram and Joe Aribo to start but it also wouldn’t surprise me if we see two out of the first three names either.
In goals, Jon McLaughlin showed exactly what he brings to the position, the ability to relieve pressure. Shot stopping is always the more exciting quality of a top goal keeper but his impact at Hampden can’t be underestimated. I just think he deserves to keep his place the same as any outfield player who comes in and does well.
A repeat of the first-half against St Mirren would be perfect if it means the manager can make changes at half-time but, as always, all that matters is the three points and, please, no more injuries.