Motherwell make three changes for their final game this season.
Stephen O'Donnell and Dan Casey drop to the bench and Andy Halliday misses out altogether.
In come Bevis Mugabi to the defence, and Davor Zdravkovski and Harry Paton in midfield. Could it be a rare tweak to a back four?
Image source, BBC Sport
Image source, SNSMotherwell striker Jon Obika is back to fitness while Barry Maguire (chest), Callum Slattery (knee) and Adam Montgomery (hamstring) remain out.
Tony Gallacher will be assessed with regards a return for St Johnstone as he works his way back from a calf problem. Sven Sprangler (knee) remains on the sidelines.
Image source, SNSAll three league meetings between Motherwell and St Johnstone this season have been drawn; the last fixture to be drawn four times in a Scottish top-flight campaign was Dunfermline Athletic v Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2011-12 (Dundee v Kilmarnock could also be drawn four times this season).
St Johnstone have only lost one of their last eight league meetings with Motherwell (W3 D4), and are unbeaten in their last three such away visits (W2 D1).
After their 4-1 win over Livingston, Motherwell are looking to win back-to-back home league games for just a second time this season, after doing so in their first two such matches.
St Johnstone must win this match and hope Ross County fail to beat Aberdeen to avoid a place in the play-offs. The Saints have, however, lost 19 league games this season, last losing 20+ in a top-flight campaign in 2001-02 (27), when they were last relegated.
St Johnstone’s Craig Levein has lost each of his last four MD38 games in the Scottish top-flight, twice with Dundee United (2007-08, 2008-08) and twice with Hearts (2017-18, 2018-19). He last avoided defeat on the final matchday in a season in the top tier in 2006-07, when his Dundee United side drew 0-0 with Motherwell, while his last such win was also over Motherwell with Hearts in 2003-04 (3-2).
Motherwell finish their season at home to St Johnstone on Sunday, looking to bounce back from Wednesday's defeat to Hibernian.
What team would you choose if you were in Stuart Kettlewell's position?
Put yourself in the manager's shoes and choose your Motherwell team here.
Image source, SNSMotherwell striker Jack Vale - who will return to parent club Blackburn after Sunday's game against St Johnstone - has not ruled out a future return to Fir Park.
The 23-year-old has scored three goals in 13 appearances for Motherwell and is keen to continue playing first-team football.
"Knowing how important it is to start games and build up your match-fitness, now I have had a taste of that, I just want to carry on doing it," he said.
"I have one more year at Blackburn and from what they have been saying I just have to keep doing what I am doing and see what happens in the summer.
"You never know where you are going to end up in football. This is my fifth loan now so I can't tell where I am going to be in the next year or so.
"This is the most I have enjoyed my football, definitely, playing at Motherwell, so there's no reason I wouldn't want to come back but I just have to see what happens. I have loved it here."
Image source, SNSStuart Kettlewell says the entire Motherwell squad know whether they have a future at Fir Park after a series of contract discussions.
With only eight first team players currently signed on beyond the summer, the manager has required "patience" as he makes preparations for pre-season.
A shift in the mindset of modern footballers is a factor behind deals taking so long to be concluded, according to Kettlewell.
“There’s been a real clarity in terms of conversations between myself and players,” he said.
“Now, whether there are agreements in place or not, everyone knows where they sit, whether there is going to be an offer, whether there is an offer or whether they will be moving on from the football club.
“Some players will have decisions to make themselves for what is right for them and their family but everyone will know what the willingness is of the football club and they have done for a little bit of time now as well.
“There is a bit of patience required but I would like to have as many of the group together before we head to Holland for pre-season.
“That’s the plan but it’s hard to get deals across the line. A lot of players now sit and wait to see if the grass is greener on the other side, not necessarily ones that are here.
“It’s a wee bit different to what football used to be like, players were always hell-bent on getting their futures sorted."
Andy Halliday, on loan at Motherwell, will leave Hearts this summer. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external
Watch the best of the action as Hibs begin life after Nick Montgomery with a comfortable win over Motherwell. (Available to UK users only)
Hibernian began life after Nick Montgomery with an emphatic Scottish Premiership victory over Motherwell.
The Easter Road club, searching for a fifth permanent manager in under three years, ensured club greats Paul Hanlon and Lewis Stevenson a winning farewell in their final home match, and climb above their visitors into eighth place.
A quickfire double in the final five minutes of the first half ignited the contest, Myziane Maolida rolling home a penalty and Martin Boyle volleying into the bottom-left corner.
Boyle blasted Hibs' third beyond Liam Kelly early in the second period, leaving Motherwell labouring in vain to plot a route back.
Motherwell fans, were you at Easter Road? What was your assessment of a disappointing night?
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell tells BBC Radio Scotland: "Overall I’m annoyed and frustrated with the players. We looked ragged, we didn’t play with a purpose or enough aggression.
"I am left so confused as to how the first goal is a penalty. Not so long ago we had an incident against Aberdeen and the Aberdeen player is further away and raises his arm towards the ball and I was told it was in such close proximity it couldn’t be given as a penalty.
"I don’t even know if Stephen O’Donnell is a yard away. I really hope we start to find some clarity."
Image source, SNSBy Jamie Lyall, BBC Sport Scotland
For Motherwell, this was an entirely forgettable evening. A match which stalled all the momentum built up in recent weeks, four wins from five on the road, and one defeat from six in total.
Their defending was tame, second to too many balls and leaving too great a space for Hibs’ attackers. Motherwell's paltry return of three clean sheets in 37 league games must improve next term.
In attack, even Theo Bair, normally so deadly, had a quiet night.
Image source, SNSUnsurprisingly following a 5-1 thrashing of Ross County in Dingwall, Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell names an unchanged side for tonight's trip to Easter Road.
Jack Vale returns from suspension but must make do with a place on the bench.
Blair Spittal will look to add to his impressive haul of 11 assists - only Matt O'Riley has more in this season's Premiership - while Theo Bair will bid to burnish his 15-goal league tally.
Image source, SNSHibernian: Wollacott, Cadden, Bushiri, Hanlon, Stevenson, Triantis, Newell, Campbell, Boyle, Vente, Maolida.
Substitutes: Johnson, Levitt, Doyle-Hayes, Amos, Le Fondre, Marcondes, Tavares, Obita, Moriah-Welsh.
Motherwell: Kelly, O'Donnell, McGinn, Casey, Blaney, Gent, Miller, Halliday, Spittal, Nicholson, Bair.
Substitutes: Oxborough, Mugabi, Paton, Zdravkowski, Butcher, Vale, Shaw, Devine, Ebiye.
Image source, SNSDavid Gray is Hibernian's interim manager for the fourth time
Image source, SNSHibernian are winless in four league meetings with Motherwell (D2 L2) since a 3-2 victory in January 2023.
Both sides have scored in each of the last five league matches between Hibernian (eight goals) and Motherwell (10 goals), with Hibs the last side to keep a clean sheet in this fixture in October 2022 (1-0 win).
Hibernian have won their final home league game in both of the last two seasons, beating St. Johnstone 4-0 in 2021-22 and Celtic 4-2 last term.
Including the curtailed 2019-20 season, Motherwell have only won their final away league game in one of the last nine seasons (D3 L5), a 1-0 win at Partick Thistle in 2017-18.
Motherwell’s Stuart Kettlewell has only lost one of his nine Scottish Premiership games as a manager against Hibernian (W3 D5), a 0-3 defeat with Ross County while in joint-charge with Steven Ferguson in February 2020.
Image source, SNSHibernian caretaker boss David Gray is not expecting any major changes to a squad that was missing goalkeeper David Marshall, Elie Youan, Will Fish (back) and Lewis Miller (hamstring) at the weekend.
Jack Vale returns from suspension for Motherwell while Jon Obika is back in training after a hamstring injury. Callum Slattery (knee) and Adam Montgomery (hamstring) remain out.
Image source, SNSMotherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell says it would "cost a significant amount of money" for any clubs interested in striker Theo Bair this summer.
Bair has scored 15 league goals this season, and recently earned a call-up to the Canada squad, but his current contract only runs until the end of next season.
While Kettlewell wants to retain Bair's services, he insists he isn't losing sleep over the situation.
“With the likes of Theo, I am very, very relaxed about it, I really am,” Kettlewell said. “I don’t mean that to be blase, but when you start getting pent up abut interest in your players, you would never be able to do your job.
“I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that people will be interested in Theo Bair. He is a signed player at this football club. For anyone to prise him away that’s going to cost a significant amount of money.
“I would love to keep him at the football club because I feel that he is just getting better and better, I feel he is really learning his trade and enjoying his football. He is loving everything about playing here at Motherwell and leading the line.
“When you look across world football, there is not a whole host of number nines that play with his stature, his pace, his ability to play with his back to goal, and then the finishing prowess he is starting to show.”
Jenna Thomson
Fan writer
Travelling all the way to Dingwall in the extreme heat to get a 5-1 win was absolutely sensational.
Ross County is one of the best away trips I’ve done with the ‘Well and If the Dingwall side fall through the relegation trapdoor they will be sorely missed (winter and midweek games aside).
Paul McGinn finally getting his long-awaited goal alongside Harry Paton’s first since returning from injury was the icing on the cake for an amazing day out.
If we can close out the season with four wins we can’t ask for much more. Wednesday’s match at managerless Hibs and then our own end-of-season party at Fir Park on Sunday against St Johnstone are must-wins to capitalise on our momentum.
If Aberdeen can put four goals past Hibs I would like to think we can take a minimum of two.
Having already sealed Livingston's relegation fate, we could have a big say in who is consigned to the play-off spot on the final day when Saints come calling.
Overall, I can’t fault our performances the past two weeks and long may it continue for Lanarkshire’s only top-flight team.
New Zealand right-back Callan Elliot is poised to leave Motherwell and join new A-League club Auckland after the 24-year-old struggled for game time since joining the Scottish Premiership side on a short-term contract in January. (Daily Record), external
Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.
Motherwell travel to Easter Road on Wednesday night to take on a struggling Hibs side who just conceded four goals to Aberdeen.
Should Stuart Kettlewell make any changes from the 5-1 win over Ross County on Saturday?
Put yourself in the manager's shoes and pick your starting XI here.
Watch Sportscene analysis of Motherwell's superb performance against Ross County.
Available to UK users only.
Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter
Motherwell were superb on Saturday as they thrashed Ross County, and they have two players picked in my team of the week.
Paul McGinn is always a steady performer for Motherwell and he weighed in with a goal in Dingwall.
What a loss Blair Spittal will be for Motherwell come the end of the season. It's great to see an already talented player reach new heights over the course of the season.
He delivered another sensational performance full of quality and scored twice for Stuart Kettlewell's side.
