Yet, remarkably, this is not a relegation dogfight, at least, not for the moment. For despite the dip in form that both teams have suffered over the winter months they remain in the top six. Inverness are three points ahead of us but we have a game in hand.
Terry Butcher will get his usual friendly welcome when he arrives at Fir Park and on this occasion he’ll find a former team mate in the other dugout. This will be Stuart McCall’s home debut and he’ll be keen to show the home fans that he can field a team capable of winning.
His options will be severely limited. Saunders is still injured and now Fitzpatrick has joined Gow and Blackman as part of Motherwell’s past. Our squad was small at best but now it is at a level that is beyond critical. Unless we have a Friday signing it seems certain that we’ll start with the same eleven that lost at Tannadice in midweek.
Those eleven will have to lift their game several notches if we are to stop the rot. The Inverness side had a wonderful unbeaten run on the road but that came to an end in Perth at the beginning of the month. Potential activity in the current transfer window might have an unsettling effect on the visitors. ICT have already turned down a bid for Rooney. Their tactics will not be a surprise to our new manager; they will sit in and attack on the break.
Motherwell had a comfortable win when the teams met earlier this season but the record shows that our scorers that day were Blackman and Gow. Sutton and Murphy will be given the job this time and if they can replicate the display they gave at Dens Park recently we should not have a blank score sheet.
Without doubt this is one of the times when the players need to hear a supportive crowd cheering them on. It might be enough to tip the game our way. A 1-0 win would be something to celebrate.