The Scottish Premiership will see two teams separated by two points get back to action when Motherwell will host Hibernian on Wednesday night, with the visitors looking to leapfrog their opponents.
Both sides managed to progress in the Scottish Cup at the weekend, and is something they shall be hoping to take back into the SPL after they each lost their most recent matches in the competition.
Motherwell picked up their first victory of the year at the weekend when they defeated Greenock Morton, but it took up to the final minute of extra time to secure the result.
Kevin van Veen’s penalty and a goal from Liam Donnelly helped the Steelmen fight from behind to progress into the next stage of the competition.
That result saw Motherwell bounce from their most recent outing in the league where they lost 3-1 to Ross County, but they will be hoping to put that behind them on Wednesday.
However, Graham Alexander will hope to see a defensive improvement from his men in this game, with the squad having conceded 30 goals throughout the season to this point.
On the other hand, Hibernian also progressed to the next round of the Scottish Cup at the weekend, and much like Motherwell, they had to play through extra time in order to succeed.
The only goal of the game came from Kevin Nisbet, and it was enough to secure them the victory, which saw them respond to the defeat by Celtic in the league prior to that.
However, before that loss the Hibees had gone four games in a row without a defeat in the league, something that had helped them to climb up the table.
Shaun Maloney will hope to see that continue, especially as his side have the opportunity to climb above Motherwell with a victory.
Motherwell vs Hibernian head to head
The pair have previously met on 85 occasions across all competitions, where Hibernian are leading with 37 victories while Motherwell have won 23, and they have drawn in 25. Hibernian have scored 143 goals and conceded 115. In their last five meetings, Motherwell have won one, Hibernian 3 with one draw.
Motherwell 0-3 Hibernian 05/12/20
Hibernian 0-2 Motherwell 27/02/21
Hibernian (P)2-2 Motherwell 24/04/21
Motherwell 2-3 Hibernian 01/08/21
Hibernian 1-1 Motherwell 04/12/21
Motherwell latest home form
Motherwell have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have been unbeaten in their last five matches. Their last home defeat came on October 31 when they lost 6-1 to Rangers in the league. They recently defeated Greenock Morton 2-1 after extra time in the FA Cup.
Motherwell 2-0 Hearts 20/11/21
Motherwell 1-0 Dundee United 30/11/21
Motherwell 2-0 St. Johnstone 18/12/21
Motherwell 2-1 Livingston 26/12/21
Motherwell (E)2-1 Greenock Morton 22/01/22
Motherwell latest away form
Motherwell have recently been on a poor form on the road, as they have failed to win in any of their last four away matches. Their last away victory came on November 6 when they defeated Aberdeen 2-0. They have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five.
Aberdeen 0-2 Motherwell 06/11/21
Dundee 3-0 Motherwell 27/11/21
Hibernian 1-1 Motherwell 04/12/21
Celtic 1-0 Motherwell 12/12/21
Ross County 3-1 Motherwell 18/01/22
Hibernian latest home form
Hibernian have recently been on a relatively good form at home, as they have lost just one of their last five matches. They recently defeated Cove Rangers 1-0 after extra time in the FA Cup. In their last five matches, they have won three, drawn one and lost one.
Hibernian 1-1 Motherwell 04/12/21
Hibernian 1-0 Dundee 14/12/21
Hibernian 1-2 Celtic 19/12/21
Hibernian 1-0 Aberdeen 22/12/21
Hibernian (E)1-0 Cove Rangers 20/01/22
Hibernian latest away form
Hibernian have recently failed to keep up with a good run of form on the road, being incosistent in their results. They lost their last away game 2-0 to Celtic in the league. They have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five away matches.
St. Johnstone 1-2 Hibernian 27/11/21
Livingston 1-0 Hibernian 08/12/21
St. Mirren 1-1 Hibernian 11/12/21
Dundee United 1-3 Hibernian 26/12/21
Celtic 2-0 Hibernian 17/01/22
Motherwell news
Connor Shields was able to start for Motherwell at the weekend, but after failing to score, Van Veen is likely to take his place back on Wednesday.
There should also be the opportunity for Jake Carrol to maintain his position at the back, where he will likely play behind Sean Goss.
Hibernian news
Kyle Magennis recently returned to training, having been out of action since September with a groin problem, and he could be an option in midweek if his fitness is at the necessary level.
Wednesday’s fixture will come too soon for Harry Clarke, as he is still sidelined with a hamstring problem.
Prediction and Odds
Hibernian have not been good on the road, something they will want to improve upon in this game by taking the victory.
However, with Motherwell’s good record at home, it may be difficult to back the visitors to take the victory, and we see game possibly ending in a draw or a home win.
Odds: 1 2.20 X 2.05 2 2.45
Probable outcomes
Motherwell 0-0 Hibernian
Motherwell 1-1 Hibernian
Motherwell 2-2 Hibernian
Motherwell 1-0 Hibernian
Motherwell 2-1 Hibernian
