Premiership · Matchday 11 
Our pick0–1Missed
St Johnstone vs Motherwell: Pressure Builds on Struggling Motherwell
St Johnstone bring a mixed run to McDiarmid Park, but the sharper focus is on Motherwell, who arrive on a losing streak that has pushed them into the lower reaches of the Premiership table.
📍 McDiarmid Park
Preview written:
All Matchday 11 matchesFull head-to-head
Match report
ST Johnstone and Motherwell drew 2-2 in the Premiership. Taylor Steven opened the scoring for ST Johnstone in the 19th minute. Ibrahim Said equalised for Motherwell in the 34th minute, assisted by Emmanuel Longelo. Tawanda Maswanhise put Motherwell ahead in the 54th minute, assisted by Jake Max Girdwood-Reich. Josh Campbell levelled for ST Johnstone in the 90+3rd minute, assisted by Logan Chalmers.
Stats show ST Johnstone had 56% possession while Motherwell had 44%, Motherwell produced 9 shots on target to ST Johnstone’s 3, and the xG was close at 1.48–1.53. T. Steven was the top-rated player (8.0). The PreviaXI model had predicted a 0-1 score with home 31%, draw 26% and away 43%.
Goals
- 19'Taylor Steven · ST Johnstone
- 34'Ibrahim Said · Emmanuel Longelo · Motherwell
- 54'Tawanda Maswanhise · Jake Max Girdwood-Reich · Motherwell
- 90+3'Josh Campbell · Logan Chalmers · ST Johnstone
Cards
- 51'Enes Alic · ST Johnstone
- 51'Ibrahim Said · Motherwell
- 71'Tom Sparrow · Motherwell
Match stats
⭐ Top-rated player: T. Steven (ST Johnstone) 8
Ratings and statistics: API-Football.
Confirmed lineups
ST Johnstone · 4-2-3-1
- 1T. StewardG
- 26M. ToddD
- 19D. FinlaysonD
- 3C. DiabateD
- 2E. AlıçD
- 8J. HoltM
- 42R. McAlearM
- 99R. PatonM
- 10J. GullanM
- 7T. StevenM
- 9J. FowlerF
Coach: S. Valakari
Motherwell · 4-2-3-1
- 1A. PaulsenG
- 7T. SparrowD
- 3J. Girdwood-ReichD
- 5M. MoormannD
- 45M. EmmanuelD
- 6J. McGheeM
- 63D. LevittM
- 18Tawanda Jethro MaswanhiseM
- 19I. SaidM
- 71J. HodgeM
- 47S. Palmer-HouldenF
Coach: Alfred Johansson
Match facts
Recent form
Last 5 league games, latest on the right
Goals per game
| · | Scored | Conceded |
|---|---|---|
| ST Johnstone | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Motherwell | 1.1 | 1.8 |
League position
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | ST Johnstone | 10 | -4 | 12 |
| 10 | Motherwell | 10 | -7 | 8 |
Last meetings
- 2025ST Johnstone0-1Motherwell
- 2025Motherwell3-2ST Johnstone
- 2025ST Johnstone2-1Motherwell
- 2025ST Johnstone1-0Motherwell
- 2024Motherwell2-1ST Johnstone
PreviaXI model
Model confidence: Open game
- Predicted score
- 0-1
- Expected goals (model)
- 1.25 – 1.51
- Double chance
- 12 · 74%1X 57% · X2 69%
- Over 2.5 goals
- 52%Over 1.5: 77% · Over 3.5: 30%
- Both teams score
- 56%
- Clean sheet
- 22% – 29%ST Johnstone–Motherwell
- Half-time result
- X · 41%1 26% · 2 33%
- Half-time / full-time
- 2/2 · 26%1/1 18% · X/X 15%
- Expected corners
- 8.93.6 – 5.3 · Over 9.5: 40%
- Expected cards
- 3.72.2 – 1.5 · Over 3.5: 52%
- Most likely scores
- 1-112%
- 0-19%
- 1-29%
- 1-08%
- 2-17%
Statistical model based on expected goals (xG), results and match statistics from the last two seasons. For information only. How our model works →
St Johnstone’s recent league results have been a patchwork of losses, draws and the occasional win: a loss, a draw, a win, a draw and another defeat in their last five matches. That inconsistency has still kept them eighth in the 12-team Premiership, and they go into Wednesday’s game at McDiarmid Park in Perth with 12 points from 10 matches.
Motherwell under the spotlight
Motherwell, however, are the side feeling the heat. They have lost all five of their most recent league games, scoring three times and conceding 13. Their season has ended in six straight defeats, and two wins from ten have left them 10th on 8 points with a goal difference of -7. Every week without a result sharpens the questions around the squad.
Away form tells the story
Motherwell’s record on the road makes for grim reading. They have won one, drawn one and lost three of their five away games this season, and they have conceded 18 goals in the process. St Johnstone have been more solid at home, with two wins and two draws from five, although they have also conceded 15 times over the campaign.
Recent meetings
The rivalry has been close. Motherwell have won three of the last five meetings, including a 3-2 win in April 2025, while St Johnstone took the 2-1 Premiership win in January and the 1-0 FA Cup victory earlier that month. Motherwell’s 1-0 win in the League Cup in August 2025 shows they have known how to win at McDiarmid Park.
Our prediction
PreviaXI’s model favours Motherwell, and we see why. Their attacking threat has been more potent in recent meetings, and a side desperate to end a losing run usually plays with a sharper edge. St Johnstone’s home form gives them a fighting chance, so this could be a tight, physical contest in which a single goal decides the outcome.
St Johnstone 0-1 Motherwell
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