Motherwell vs St Mirren Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

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Motherwell

vs

St Mirren

KickoffSaturday 31 October 2026, 3:00pm

VenueFir Park

CompetitionScottish Premier League

Seven games without a win. Six defeats and one draw. That is the kind of run that gets managers the sack and sends supporters into full crisis mode. Alfred Johansson is feeling the heat at Fir Park right now, and nobody would blame the Motherwell faithful for being a touch frustrated. The Steelmen came agonisingly close to ending that drought in midweek too, only for Josh Campbell to nod home in the 93rd minute and deny them what would have been a genuinely vital three points against St Johnstone. Football can be brutal. But Johansson spoke afterwards about the fire he saw in the dressing room, and sometimes that kind of hurt is exactly what a side needs to find something extra.

St Mirren arrive at Fir Park having hauled themselves out of their own rough patch. Craig McLeish’s side looked decent early in the season before going five straight without a win, but back to back results against Dundee and Hibernian have steadied the ship. The Saints are not exactly flying, but they are building a bit of momentum again, and a win here could lift them into the top half. Plenty at stake then, for both sides, in very different ways.

Motherwell vs St Mirren Match Details

This Scottish Premiership matchday 12 fixture takes place at Fir Park, Motherwell’s home ground in Lanarkshire. Motherwell come in as the lower placed side, sitting 10th in the table with nine points from 11 games, while St Mirren are seventh on 14 points from the same number of outings. A competitive, pressurised affair is very much on the cards.

Team News

Motherwell have a couple of confirmed absentees and a few players who are racing to be fit in time. Johansson will hope his most in form attackers from midweek come through unscathed.

• Callum Hendry is out injured and unavailable for selection
• Paul McGinn also remains sidelined through injury
• Dylan Williams is a doubt and could miss out
• Oscar Priestman is similarly uncertain and faces a late fitness check

St Mirren are without a handful of regulars as well, which limits McLeish’s options at both ends of the pitch.

• Jonah Ayunga is out and will not feature
• Keanu Baccus is also unavailable through injury
• Nikolas Agrafiotis is ruled out
• Malik Dijksteel is a doubt and will be assessed ahead of kickoff

Predicted Lineups

Johansson is likely to stick with the shape that nearly got Motherwell over the line against St Johnstone. Tawanda Maswanhise and Ibrahim Said were outstanding in that midweek draw, and there is no reason to drop either of them. Joe Hodge and Sebastian Palmer Houlden round out an attacking unit that has the ability to cause problems even if the overall team form has been poor.

Motherwell predicted lineup: Paulsen; Sparrow, Girdwood Reich, Moormann, Longelo; McGhee, Levitt; Maswanhise, Said, Hodge; Palmer Houlden

St Mirren look set to name an unchanged side after coming through back to back undefeated matches. McLeish will not want to disrupt whatever it is he has found after that dreadful five game run. Thomas and Mochrie in behind Sule up top gives them a threat going forward, while Gogic and Fieldson will need to be sharp at the back given the defensive frailties both sides have shown this term.

St Mirren predicted lineup: Chapman; Fraser, Gogic, Fieldson; Ramsay, Carr, Phillips, John; Thomas, Sule, Mochrie

Recent Form

Motherwell’s recent form makes for grim reading. Seven games without a win, with only one point to show from a possible 21. That is a run that puts enormous pressure on a manager and saps confidence from a squad. The concerning thing is that it is not just a goal drought or a single positional problem. The Steelmen have been leaking goals at a rate of knots, conceding 20 in the league so far this season, which is one of the worst records in the Premiership. At the other end, they clearly have attacking quality given how they performed against St Johnstone, but they need to start converting possession and chances into actual points.

The late equaliser they conceded in midweek was the kind of gut punch that can either completely deflate a group or galvanise them. Johansson is banking on the latter, and there was enough in that performance to suggest Motherwell are not a million miles away from turning things around. The question is whether this is the fixture to do it.

St Mirren’s campaign has followed a strange trajectory. Three wins and a draw from the first four games suggested they could push for a top six spot, then five straight defeats wiped out that early promise. Their defensive record is a real concern, having conceded in each of their last seven league games, and 19 goals shipped across the season tells you there are problems at the back that have not been properly addressed yet. The wins over Dundee and the draw with Hibs have restored some belief, but McLeish will know this side cannot keep giving goals away at this rate.

Head-to-Head Record

This is a fixture that has tended to favour the home side, and Motherwell’s recent record at Fir Park in this particular matchup will give the home fans some cause for optimism. The Steelmen have won two of the last three Scottish Premiership meetings held at their ground, which is a decent return and suggests that whatever is going wrong on the road for Motherwell in recent weeks, they have generally been able to handle St Mirren on home turf.

That context matters when you are looking at a side as low on confidence as Motherwell currently are. Familiar ground, a familiar opponent they have tended to do well against at home, and genuine motivation after the heartbreak of midweek. The head to head record is one of the more encouraging angles for the hosts.

Key Stats

• Motherwell have not won in seven Scottish Premiership matches, taking just one point from a possible 21
• St Mirren have conceded in each of their last seven league fixtures and have shipped 19 goals this season, the third worst defensive record in the division
• Motherwell have won two of the last three Premiership meetings between these sides at Fir Park

Motherwell vs St Mirren Betting Tips

Both sides are carrying defensive fragility into this one, and the emotional backdrop of Motherwell’s near miss in midweek adds an interesting edge. The stats point toward goals at both ends, and there is a genuine case for backing the hosts to edge it given their home record in this fixture and the extra motivation Johansson has been talking up all week.

First Goalscorer Prediction

Tawanda Maswanhise was one of Motherwell’s standout performers against St Johnstone and looks sharp right now. He is operating in behind the striker with licence to get forward, and against a St Mirren back line that has been conceding for fun, the conditions suit him perfectly. Good value to open the scoring.

Cards Prediction

This is a bottom half Scottish Premiership scrap with plenty riding on it for both clubs. Expect it to be physical and competitive from the off. A side as desperate as Motherwell tends to put in some meaty challenges early, and St Mirren’s players will not be shy about imposing themselves either. Over three and a half cards in the match looks a reasonable shout given the stakes and the intensity these fixtures usually produce.

Correct Score Prediction

Given the attacking quality both sides showed in recent weeks and the defensive issues neither team has solved, a 2-1 home win feels right. Motherwell get the goal they have been craving, St Mirren grab one back through their own attacking threat, but Fir Park finally gets a home victory to celebrate.

Over and Under Goals Prediction

Over 2.5 goals. Two sides with combined defensive records that rank among the worst in the division, playing a game with high emotional stakes and plenty of attacking intent. Both managers need to win. The goals will come, and backing over 2.5 feels firmly on the right side of the market here.

Corners Prediction

With both sides pushing for goals and neither particularly solid at the back, expect plenty of attacking play and the kind of frantic end to end spells that generate corner kicks. Over 9.5 corners for the match is the play, particularly if this stays tight and both sides need to find a way through in the final quarter.

Both Teams To Score (BTTS) Prediction

Yes to both teams scoring. St Mirren have conceded in seven straight league games and Motherwell have been shipping goals all season too. Neither back four inspires much confidence, and both sides have enough quality in the final third to find the net. BTTS yes has been paying out all season in games involving these two, and there is no reason to think this one bucks that trend.

Bet Builder Tip

A Motherwell home win in a game where both sides score and the goals flow fits the profile of this fixture perfectly given the form, the motivation and the defensive vulnerabilities on show.

Final Match Prediction

Motherwell 2-1 St Mirren. The head to head at Fir Park, the extra motivation after that gut wrenching late equaliser in midweek, and the performances of Maswanhise and Said all point toward the hosts finally getting a win on the board. Johansson has spoken about the fire in the dressing room, and this feels like the right moment for that to translate into three points.

St Mirren will not make it easy. They are coming off back to back unbeaten games and have enough going forward to threaten. But Motherwell at home, hurting, with something to prove, against an opponent they have a solid recent record against at this venue. Back the Steelmen to edge it.

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