Motherwell host St Mirren at Fir Park on 31 October 2026 in a Scottish Premiership meeting that carries real weight for both managers. Motherwell sit 10th with nine points from 11 games and have gone seven league matches without a win, making life uncomfortable for new head coach Alfred Johansson, who badly needs these three points before the November international break. St Mirren arrive in seventh with 14 points, having ended a five-game losing streak and now looking to make it three games unbeaten. Both defences have been leaky and with neither side especially reliable from set pieces, goals look likely from multiple angles.
Johansson and Craig McLeish have no previous meetings as managers, both having taken their current roles in summer 2026. Johansson replaced Jens Berthel Askou on 18 June, while McLeish was confirmed permanently at St Mirren the same month after an interim stint following Stephen Robinson's departure. Johansson presses high and transitions quickly in a 4-2-3-1, McLeish's 3-4-3 gives wing backs licence to join attacks and leaves Killian Phillips free to pick up the ball in half spaces.
Motherwell's last five league results read D-L-L-L-L. The 2-2 draw with St Johnstone on 28 October showed something, as they came from behind twice, which takes character, though giving up a late goal when they might have won summed up where they are right now. The 2-3 loss to Kilmarnock before that told a similar story: enough chances to win and nothing to show for it. St Mirren's sequence is D-W-L-L-L. The 2-1 win over Dundee on 24 October ended their losing run and the 1-1 with Hibernian on 28 October suggested McLeish is getting his defensive structure together, giving St Mirren the more settled dressing room going in.
Motherwell will be without Callum Hendry, Paul McGinn and Alex Lowry, the last of whom is out until after the international break with a knee issue. It is a big chunk of attacking and midfield quality missing and could disrupt the balance of Johansson's 4-2-3-1 more than the headline names suggest. St Mirren have their own problems, with Jonah Ayunga, Keanu Baccus and Nikolas Agrafiotis all out injured. Losing Baccus is probably the most damaging given how much defensive work he does in midfield and Ayunga's absence thins out their forward options.
Motherwell play a 4-2-3-1 built around pressing and quick transitions yet have struggled to convert chances and remain vulnerable from set pieces. Tawanda Maswanhise and Ibrahim Said look to carry the ball at full backs rather than combine, with Sebastian Palmer-Houlden as the lone striker. Without Hendry, McGinn and Lowry, Johansson may have to get the ball forward to Palmer-Houlden quickly rather than working it through midfield before committing forward. St Mirren's 3-4-3 gives wing backs licence to join attacks, with Phillips free to pick up the ball in half spaces. He leads on both goals and assists, while Calvin Ramsay is a threat from wide and Eseosa Sule has scored in the last two matches. The loss of Baccus leaves them short physically in midfield, which could open up space for Motherwell's double pivot.
The most interesting battle is probably Maswanhise against Ramsay's defensive duties on that flank and if Motherwell can switch play fast enough there may be space to exploit there. Phillips will want to dominate centrally but Motherwell will try to crowd him out and force the game through their press, while St Mirren's wing backs can create overloads if Motherwell's full backs push too high.
The last meeting between these two sides, on 30 August 2026, ended 3-3 and that scoreline alone tells you something about how they tend to share a pitch. Motherwell's set piece defending has been a persistent problem and St Mirren will know it. Phillips is their primary dead ball delivery option, sending the ball in with pace and curl and with both sides having conceded from set pieces regularly, these situations are likely to matter here more than once. St Mirren's two game unbeaten run gives McLeish the more settled dressing room going in but Motherwell are at home with a manager who needs results.
Motherwell 2-1 St Mirren. Johansson's side should finally turn their chance creation into a win, with Maswanhise and Said running in behind St Mirren's wing backs, who have defensive gaps when they push high and Palmer-Houlden the most likely to benefit from those spaces. St Mirren will cause problems through Phillips and Ramsay on the counter and may well level it at some point but Motherwell's record in this fixture at home and Palmer-Houlden's threat in behind make this their game to win.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
