Motherwell

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Motherwell have Steve Seddon back in contention, but Kofi Balmer (hamstring) joins fellow centre-backs Shane Blaney (knee), Paul McGinn (thigh) and Liam Gordon (concussion) on the sidelines.

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (wrist), Sam Nicholson (knee), Jack Vale, Zach Robinson (both Achilles), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Archie Mair (hand) remain sidelined.

St Johnstone could hand Uche Ikpeazu a league debut while Zach Mitchell (hamstring), Drey Wright (ankle) and long-term absentees Bozo Mikulic (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) remain out.

BBC Sport Scotland's Nick McPheat has been answering some of your Motherwell questions.

Ronnie asked: We are very light on the striker front, which brings me to my question. When will Zach Robinson and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos be fit as they are very much missed?

Nick answered: Not until next season, I assume. Stamatelopoulos was ruled out for at least two months with a fractured wrist in mid-March and Robinson ruptured his Achilles in December, which is unfortunate as they are probably the first and second-choice picks for the number nine spot.

There's obviously been a lot of back luck in there, but the injury situation across the whole of this season is something the club need to get to the bottom of over the summer.

William asked: Where on earth are the goals coming from in this team? Our goal threat is appalling just now.

Nick answered: Motherwell would have hoped Stamatelopoulos was going to be the guy to provide that goal threat when they spent a reported six-figure fee on him last summer. It isn't often they spend that kind of money on one player.

The Australia striker has looked pretty good when on the pitch, scoring five goals from 13 league starts, but he has sadly been plagued by injury. Tawanda Maswanhise has chipped in but has been in and out of the team under Michael Wimmer.

Callum Slattery has probably looked the team's most dangerous attacking player since he came back from injury, but that isn't ideal given he's a midfielder and there are eight (yes, eight) strikers on the books.

Motherwell will take goals from anywhere just to get themselves over the line, though, then the attack can be properly addressed over the summer.

BBC Sport Scotland's Nick McPheat has been answering some of your Motherwell questions.

Eddie: Why after three games in charge have we given up on the high-press tactics?

Nick answered: It's an interesting one. In the wins against Dundee and Rangers, particularly the first halves, the high-pressing style and "proactive football" Michael Wimmer is keen to implement was there to see.

But for some reason the performance level seems to have dipped, even after the manager has had extra time on the training pitch. Maybe the team has just lost momentum with the spare weekends they have had throughout the past couple of months?

Another wee thing to note is that before Wimmer's arrival, Motherwell averaged the lowest possession in the league and were statistically the division's most passive team in terms of intensity.

Wimmer's approach is almost the complete opposite of that, so fans will need to be patient. Securing survival is the priority, then pre-season will be crucial for the German to implement his high-octane style.

James asked: How many of the current huge squad will be let go? Many of them have not contributed anywhere near enough this season. Time for a huge clearout?

Nick answered: Eh, my guess is a lot. Just taking into consideration the loan players who are set to leave, you are already into double figures.

Although it will be a huge turnover of players, the manager has said it's a positive thing. He will be relishing essentially having a blank canvas and the wages that will be freed up will allow him to bring in players more suited to his style.

It will be a really busy summer for him, though, and it will be interesting to see what happens with captain Paul McGinn, Andy Halliday and Dan Casey in particular, given they are all out of contract.

Callum Slattery, Tom Sparrow and Stephen O'Donnell recently signed new deals, plus Dundee's Jordan McGhee is set to arrive after penning a pre-contract in the winter.

His versatility to play anywhere across the defence and in central midfield could make him an excellent signing. Wimmer has also expressed an interest in keeping Luke Armstrong when his loan from Carlisle United expires in the summer.

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Sister club Chelsea are backing Strasbourg's £4m bid for Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller, 18. (Sun), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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• Motherwell won their first home league game against St Johnstone this season 2-1 in November, but haven't beaten the Perth side twice on home soil within a single league campaign since 2013-14.

• After their 2-1 win in January, St Johnstone could win back-to-back league meetings with Motherwell for the first time since August 2022, and first time within a single season since May 2016.

• Since the start of 2025, no side has picked up fewer points in the Scottish Premiership than Motherwell (12, level with Dundee).

• St Johnstone have won just one of their past 11 away league outings (D2 L8), a 1-0 victory at St Mirren in February.

• St Johnstone's Nicky Clark has been directly involved in five goals in his past seven league appearances against Motherwell (three goals, two assists), despite only starting five of those seven games. Clark has scored in both of his past two Scottish Premiership games at Fir Park.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland at Fir Park

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Motherwell face going into their first post-split Scottish Premiership match against bottom side St Johnstone with only one recognised centre-back, manager Michael Wimmer has revealed.

Kofi Balmer has been ruled out with a hamstring issue and Liam Gordon is still missing with concussion, while Shane Blaney and Paul McGinn remain sidelined with long-term injuries.

That means Dan Casey is Wimmer's only recognised centre-half, with full-backs Stephen O'Donnell and Johnny Koutroumbis expected to join the Irishman in the back three.

"I don't want to speak about how long [Balmer is out for], but hopefully we will see him again this season," Wimmer said prior to Saturday's match at Fir Park.

"It's not good for us because we don't have so many centre-backs. Liam is out, Kofi is out, but Johnny did well in the last game against Hearts, so I'm very happy that Johnny is the solution."

The Fir Park side are boosted by the return of left-sided defender Steve Seddon, who is available to play after a lengthy spell out.

Injuries have severely hampered Motherwell this season, and Wimmer says that is one of the reasons why he has had to "compromise" his playing style since being appointed two months ago.

The German demands "proactive football" with a high-octane approach, which was evident in wins against Dundee and Rangers in the manager's first three games.

But Wimmer's side are now without a win in four matches and go into Saturday's fixture just five points above the relegation play-off spot in a congested bottom six.

"It's very challenging [to find a balance between results and implementing style]," the Fir Park boss added. "As I said before, I'm not the important one. Important is always the club, important are the fans, the players, and this must fit.

"You have to collect points because you need points to stay in the league. Also, I want to implement my style a little bit because I'm here to implement a new style. If not, then I can stay at home.

"So you have to find the right balance and this is not so easy. But as a manager, you can't complain. I'm very happy to work with the guys, they make it easy for me because they have a great work ethic, great attitudes and brilliant togetherness."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland at Fir Park

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Manager Michael Wimmer has been speaking to the media before Motherwell face St Johnstone in their first post-split Premiership match on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• With Kofi Balmer out with a hamstring injury and Liam Gordon still missing with concussion, Dan Casey is Wimmer's only recognised centre-back option, but left-back Steve Seddon is ready to be involved.

• The German is braced for "very tough" and "very tight" post-split games, with "no team safe" from relegation.

• Despite St Johnstone being bottom of the table, Wimmer expects a challenging game given the Perth side have beaten Well twice this season.

• The manager says his team "have to fight for each duel and each ball" as they "also need the points".

• Wimmer says he's had to "compromise" his playing style but hopes he doesn't have to do that next season after a summer of his own recruitment.

• He feels it is "extremely challenging" to find the balance between getting immediate results and implementing a new style, but the players "make it easy" for him.

• Wimmer says the bottom-six games will "show him everything" about his squad: "For me it's perfect to see their character. If we have the right character, we will achieve our aims as soon as possible. If not... it could be a tough situation."

• He adds: "I'm not here to motivate the players now we're in the bottom six. The motivation has to come from the guys."

• On Aston Oxborough, who has been shortlisted for the club's player of the year but is yet to feature under Wimmer, the manager said the goalkeeper is "ready" to play despite not being selected.

• "It's a perfect situation to have three brilliant keepers," he says. "[Oxborough] shows me in each training session that he's ready. He's a perfect guy and brilliant player."

What would you like to ask about Motherwell?

BBC Sport Scotland's Nick McPheat is in the hotseat ready to answer your questions and offer his insight and opinion on your club.

Answers will be provided on this page later in the week.

Put your questions to Nick here.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

How many times have you heard a relegation-threatened manager talk about the need to hit the coveted 40-point mark?

Well, the truth is, no Scottish Premiership team has ever required that total to avoid the bottom two since the play-offs were brought back more than a decade ago.

However, that is projected to change this season.

Based on current points-per-game averages, 11th-placed Dundee are set to end on a total of 39, meaning 40 could be the magic number to guarantee safety.

If that is the case, that would mark the highest tally required to ensure survival in Scotland's top tier since 38-game seasons were reintroduced in the 2000-01 campaign.

That would also mean Hearts are effectively safe, given they are already on 40 points and four teams would need to make up ground on them, while eighth-placed Motherwell would need just a single point from five post-split games.

With Kilmarnock in ninth and Ross County in tenth both currently on 35, which is just one more than Dundee's 34, the fight to avoid 11th is clearly likelier to be between those three.

But that is not set in stone. The nature of the split means each team in the bottom half will face the other before the end of the campaign, so there is scope for points-per-game averages to fluctuate.

And what does all of this mean for St Johnstone? Well, the 33 points Simo Valakari's side are projected to finish on would be the highest for a bottom-placed team in the Premiership since 2017.

That would be no consolation for the Perth club if they go down, but that is certainly not guaranteed to happen just yet.

However, they have a real fight on their hands to make up a five-point gap while improving their inferior goal difference.

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Motherwell have made six errors leading to goals so far this season - their highest for a single campaign in over 10 years.

It is more than double their next most error-ridden campaign in that time, when they made three mistakes leading to goals in 2021-22.

Dundee, St Johnstone and Hibs are the only sides who have made more errors leading to goals in the top flight this term.

Fellow bottom-six sides Hearts, Kilmarnock and Ross County have made fewer than the Fir Park club.

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Teenage winger Luca Ross has agreed a two-year contract extension at Motherwell running until the summer of 2027.

The 18-year-old made his debut against Rangers back in 2022 and managed five first-team appearances before joining Annan Athletic on loan this season.

During his time at Annan, he has played 24 times and scored once.

"Luca is a talented young player," manager Michael Wimmer said. "He has had a very successful loan spell this season, which has aided his development.

"We hope Luca can continue to develop into a first-team player and I'm looking forward to the staff here helping him achieve that."

"It gives me confidence that the manager has seen enough to extend my contract," Ross added.

"I'm really glad to sign the deal and hopefully I can kick on when I return from my loan at Annan and make a positive impression next season."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

It's hard to discuss Saturday's goalless draw against Hearts without expressing the same frustrations from previous matches.

We don't have a goalscorer in that team. Callum Slattery has been superb since coming back from injury, but so many of the attacking players we have signed have flattered to deceive.

You look at teams like Dundee United, Celtic and Aberdeen and you can make a good guess for who's likely to get an assist or a goal, but we don't have that.

Neither team deserved to win the game because neither played as if they cared. If I was a Hearts fan writing a column about the game, I would be saying much the same.

With only two home games remaining this season, we have to try push through and make the best of a bad situation.

• Motherwell v St Johnstone - Saturday, 26 April 2025

• Dundee v Motherwell - Saturday, 3 May 2025

• Hearts v Motherwell - Saturday, 10 May 2025

• Motherwell v Kilmarnock - Wednesday, 14 May 2025

• Ross County v Motherwell - Sunday, 18 May 2025

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Watch as the Sportscene team analyse Motherwell's lack of cutting edge at the top end of the park.

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Watch the pick of the action from Fir Park as Motherwell and Hearts fight out a stalemate and fail to reach the top six. (Available to UK users only)

We asked for your views on the goalless draw with Hearts which confirmed Motherwell's spot in the bottom six.

Here's what some of you said:

Robert: A really poor performance again. Is this the best we've got? I'm scunnered with nervy performances - we were the home side! Fortunately, Hearts were very poor too or we'd have been on to a hiding. The rest of the season terrifies me.

James: With so much at stake and a good crowd watching to have zero shots on target was pathetic. I am starting to have my fears we do not have the right manager at the club but we have to give him time. I think we need an overhaul of the recruitment team for next season.

Adam: The outcome was to be expected with the players the manager had to choose from. Hopefully they will relish the opportunity to show what they can do to avoid being in the relegation play-offs.

Alan: There was not a lot of evidence from the team about the importance of this match. We have consistently lacked an obvious striker, there was no leader in midfield and the defence were often hesitant and lacking the skills to play out from the back. The lack of pressing was evident and with very few shots on goal it presents major challenges for us.

Alistair: A better attitude from the players with Stephen O'Donnell producing an assured performance in the central defensive position, Callum Slattery putting in a power of effort in midfield and Lennon Miller a more assured display than of late. However, we have no threat up front and that is a major concern going into five games where we need to get a couple of wins to keep clear of the play off slot. Testing times ahead.

Kevin: Survival is the name of the game. Then its wholesale changes required. Not an enviable task.

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• Hearts have failed to score in their past three games in the Premiership, their last longer run of games without scoring a goal in the competition was a run of four games from 31 October 2018 to 24 November 2018.

• Motherwell have failed to score in 11 of their 33 games, only Ross County (14) and St Mirren (12) have drawn a blank more often in the Premiership this season.

• Motherwell failed to attempt a shot on target in this game, it's the first time they failed to attempt a shot on target in a game in the Premiership since facing Celtic on 26 December 2024.

• Hearts have failed to win in their past three games in the Premiership, their last joint longest winless streak was from 10 November 2024 to 1 December 2024.

Motherwell fans, were you at Fir Park on Saturday or following the action from home? What did you make of your team's performance? How are you feeling about the challenge of the bottom six? Let us know your thoughts.

Have your say here