Aberdeen FC travel to Fir Park to face Motherwell on Tuesday night desperate to turn draws into a first league win in five attempts. The Dons sit 10th in the Premiership with just four points from their opening five games, a position that demands an improvement in results starting in Lanarkshire. The club's full standings show the tight nature of the bottom half, where a win could lift them several places.
Recent form a concern
Their last outing was a 1-1 draw away to Kilmarnock, a game in which Kevin Nisbet scored a 52nd-minute equaliser. That point followed a goalless stalemate with the same opponents at Pittodrie, meaning Aberdeen have not won in the league since a 3-0 victory over Dundee on the opening day of the season. The recent form guide reads two draws, two losses and that single win. They have scored only twice in the league all season while conceding seven. A deeper look at the team's stats reveals they have averaged just 0.4 goals per game, a figure they must improve upon to start climbing the table.
Team news and selection
Managerial selection will be influenced by the midweek exertions and a growing injury list. The side that started against Kilmarnock featured Marius Müller in goal behind a back four of Lewis Mayo, Daniel Happe, Mats Knoester and Nesta Guinness-Walker. Connor Ronan anchored the midfield with Aremu Afeez, Chris Cadden and Stuart Armstrong ahead of him, supporting forwards Kevin Nisbet and Mitchy Ntelo. Changes are possible, with the club confirming Bradley Lyons, Emmanuel Gyamfi, Kristers Tobers and Kusini Yengi are currently sidelined. The full extent of the club's availability issues is detailed on the official injuries page.
The Motherwell challenge
Stuart Kettlewell's Motherwell present a stern test, having beaten Dundee United 3-0 at home recently before a narrow 1-0 loss at Rangers. They are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, with A. Paulsen in goal and a defence featuring T. Sparrow, J. Girdwood-Reich, M. Moormann and E. Longelo. Their midfield and attack is built around the talents of J. Hodge, L. Fadinger, T. Maswanhise, A. Lowry, I. Said and R. Charles-Cook. The Steelmen have significant injury problems of their own, with Callum Hendry, Johnny Koutroumbis, Jordan McGhee, Oscar Priestman and Paul McGinn all ruled out until at least the end of the month.
What's at stake
For Aberdeen, this match represents a critical opportunity to climb the table before the next international break. The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-2 draw, a result Aberdeen will be keen to better this time. The team's next league assignment after this is not until late December, when they host Motherwell at Pittodrie on the 30th, a fixture already listed in the club's fixtures schedule.
