Motherwell and Hearts take on each other at the Fir Park Stadium in the 14th round of the Scottish Premiership. Both teams earned a victory in their previous league match after going through a poor run of form lately. The visitors sit in the third position and have a six points lead over the home team in the league table. Both teams face each other for the second time this season.
Liam Boyce and Stephen Kingsley scored a goal each in the first half to hand Hearts a victory in the reverse fixture. Motherwell players attempted more shots than the opposition and 11 shots were attempted in the second half. Liam Boyce missed a penalty in the second half for the hosts. Hearts players attempted 33 dribbles, with Ben Woodburn attempting the most number of dribbles. Tony Watt created the highest expected goal rate for Motherwell.
Motherwell went on to lose three of the next four matches after suffering this defeat against Hearts, but they finally ended their five-match winless run against Aberdeen before the international break. Hearts earned a 2-0 victory against Aberdeen away from home with only two shots attempted in the match. Kevin van Veen scored two goals within eight minutes in the second half, and earned his side a victory. He will miss the upcoming fixture due to suspension. Stephen O’Donnell returns from a ban, and Jordan Roberts is unavailable for this match. Mark O’Hara and Juhani Ojala have minor injuries but could be available. Liam Donnelly is likely to miss this match.
Hearts were held to three consecutive draws and suffered a defeat after the game against Motherwell. They ended their four-match winless run after a comfortable 5-2 victory against Dundee United in the previous fixture.
Hearts scored five past their opponents in the previous round. The team attempted 22 shots in the match and had ten shots on target. A total of 18 shots were attempted from inside the opposition’s penalty box, and one goal was scored from inside the 6-yard box. Ben Woodburn attempted five shots in the match and had three shots on target. His team created a high expected goal rate of 2.71.
Hearts have been the third-best performers while going forward in the league. Their expected goal rate for the season is 19.37, and have scored 23 goals till now. Hearts average 11.37 shots per 90, and the team has attempted 159 shots with a shot accuracy rate of 35.8%. Most of the shots on target have been attempted from inside the opposition’s penalty box.
Hearts were without their top goalscorer Liam Boyce for the last three fixtures. The forward is fit and could feature in the starting XI. Andy Halliday will return after suffering a one-match ban for a red card.
Hearts carry the momentum going into this match and will look to close the gap on the leaders with a victory. Motherwell played out a hard-fought win against Aberdeen and will look to earn back-to-back victories. They will look to avenge their loss from the reverse fixture.
