Motherwell and Ross County meet at Fir Park on Saturday for a game that has all the ingredients of a relegation battle.
Almost half the season remains yet followers of both teams sense that the result this clash may have a significant impact on the chance of top flight survival.
Ross County are three points adrift at the bottom of the league table and have only a solitary point to show for their efforts in the last six outings. Motherwell have not had a home win since August and seem intent on gifting points to every visiting team.
We are well into the second week of the winter transfer window yet neither club has added to their striking options. County have failed to score in their last four games and have the lowest goals tally in the league. Motherwell know that the partnership of Kevin van Veen and Connor Shields needs strengthening.
The last meeting of the teams produced a remarkable 5-0 triumph for the Mighty ‘Well in Dingwall in early October but that was to be a false dawn as only one win followed in the next dozen attempts.
The winners of this match will gain a huge morale boost while the losers will cower at the peril ahead. Despite the undoubted poor form, Motherwell have managed to find the net in recent games. That should be enough to get them over the line with a nervy 1-0 victory.