Dundee United's unbeaten run meets the side that beat them 3-0
Dundee United host Motherwell at Tannadice in strong form, but the September meeting at Fir Park ended in a heavy defeat. A look at form, shared opponents and PLZ Predictor picks.
By Harvey Watkins,
On recent form, the case for Dundee United is straightforward. They go into Saturday's Premiership fixture at Tannadice unbeaten in five, with three wins and two draws, and they have scored in every one of those matches. Motherwell arrive with one win, one draw and three defeats from their last five. What complicates the picture is the only meeting between the sides this season: Motherwell won 3-0 at Fir Park on 2 September.
Dundee United's run
United have scored 10 and conceded 5 across their last five, with two clean sheets. The results carry some weight. A 2-2 draw away to Celtic on 28 October is the standout, and it came four days after a 3-2 home win over Aberdeen. Before that they drew 1-1 at St. Johnstone, beat Hibernian 1-0 at Tannadice and won 3-0 at St. Mirren.
The goals against are worth noting. The clean sheets came against Hibernian and St. Mirren, but Aberdeen and Celtic both scored twice. United have been finding a way to outscore opponents more often than shutting them out.
Motherwell's run
Motherwell have scored 5 and conceded 9 in their last five, keeping one clean sheet. Their most recent result was their best of the run, a 1-0 home win over St. Mirren on 31 October. Before that came a 2-2 draw at St. Johnstone and three straight defeats: 0-2 at home to Hearts, 3-2 at Kilmarnock and 0-2 at home to Celtic.
Their away results in this stretch are interesting. They scored twice at both Kilmarnock and St. Johnstone, while the blanks came at home against Hearts and Celtic. That leaves some reason to think they can trouble a United side that has been conceding.
Shared opponents
Both sides have recently played Celtic, St. Johnstone and St. Mirren, which gives a rough like-for-like comparison. United took one win and two draws from those games, scoring 6 and conceding 3. Motherwell had a win, a draw and a defeat, scoring 3 and conceding 4.
The detail matters more than the totals. Both drew at McDiarmid Park. Against St. Mirren, United won 3-0 away while Motherwell won 1-0 at home. The clearest gap is Celtic: United drew 2-2 at Celtic Park, Motherwell lost 0-2 at home.
The September meeting
Motherwell's 3-0 win in early September is the one result that pushes against the form guide, and it was not a narrow one. It is a single match, two months ago and at the other ground, so it should not be over-read. But it is a reminder that this matchup has already gone decisively Motherwell's way once this season.
What PLZ Predictor members think
Twenty-three PLZ Soccer members have entered their predictions for this match in the PLZ Predictor. Of those, 83 per cent have gone for a home win, 13 per cent for a draw and 4 per cent for a Motherwell win. The most common scoreline is 2-1, picked by 11 members.
The view
The recent evidence favours Dundee United, both in their own results and in how they have fared against the same opponents. The view here is that they are better placed, though their habit of conceding and Motherwell's goals on the road in recent weeks suggest this may not be a quiet afternoon. The September result is enough to keep an open mind.