Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Scottish Premiership clash between Livingston and Ross County, including predictions, team news and possible line-ups.
Livingston will be hoping to return to winning ways after a loss to St Mirren last weekend when they host Ross County at the Toni Macaroni Arena on Saturday.
malky mackayThe team are winless in their last five league games and are coming off a humiliating defeat against Motherwell on Tuesday.
match preview
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Livingston have had an up-and-down season so far, posting four wins and four losses, with their consecutive win streak ending with their 90th-minute loss to St Mirren last Saturday.
After finishing eighth in a row, Livingston is hoping this season will be one of improvement rather than stagnation, and his form at home could be a sign of progress this season so far.
david martindaleThe team has won three of four home games this season, which compares with the seven they won in 19 home games in total in their last campaign. Continuing this form at home could move them significantly up the table and potentially help them finish the season in the top half.
Scoring goals has been a problem for Livingston, he has only netted seven times so far in eight league games, with the defender christian montano leading the way with three.
Top scorer last season Bruce Anderson He has only appeared off the bench three times this season, but found the back of the net in his previous match against St Mirren.
His gradual return from injury may add a much-needed attacking threat to the team, with the defense generally solid so far this season, except in one game against Aberdeen, where they scored five goals. However, that game has extenuating circumstances, as all five goals were conceded when reduced to 10 men.
Their opponents, Ross County, have only won one of nine games this season, taking five points, leaving them 11th in the table and just three points clear of last place.
Malky Mackay apologized to the fans after his latest loss on Tuesday night, when he conceded five goals to Motherwell and had only one shot on goal in the entire match, which is hardly surprising for a team that has only scored four goals this season. , the worst team in the division.
Roaming Ross County fans haven’t had much to cheer about, witnessing just one away goal and seeing their team concede seven times. In the match, they took a point against St Johnstone, witnessing just one shot on goal in a 0–0 draw.
Regan Charles Cook, who scored 13 goals last season for Ross County, left the club in the summer to join Belgian side KAS Eupen. Nobody has made a step forward so far this season, with The Staggies failing to score in their last three league games.
Livingston’s Scottish Premiership form:
Livingston form (all competitions):
Form of the Ross County Scottish Premiership:
Ross County Form (all competitions):
team news
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Livingston played in a back three system for the first time this season against St Mirren, but this did not end up giving the result they would have wanted, so they will most likely return to a back four system. training.
Martindale hopes that Cristian Montano will return to his side, after missing the last game, being crucial for the team both defensively and offensively.
Aside from long-term injuries to players like Connor RandallHaving been out with a broken leg since early August, Malky Mackay will have the same squad available for the trip to Livingston.
With such a tough loss in their last game, Mackay can make a change or two in the defensive unit, and with Keith Watson replacing callum johnson as a substitute in the game against Hibernian, this seems to be the most likely position where a change could be made.
Livingston’s possible starting lineup:
Jorge; Montano, Kelly, Obieye, Devlin; Pittman, Holt, Nouble, Omeonga, Bahamboula; Guthrie
Potential Ross County starting lineup:
laidlaw; Purrington, Iacovitti, Baldwin, Watson; Tillson, Paton, Edwards, Callachan, Sims; White
We Say: Livingston 2-0 Ross County
Coming off a heavy midweek loss, with less time to recover than their opponents, we expect this to be a tough game for Ross County. Given that Livingston isn’t exactly a free scorer, we wouldn’t expect to see too many goals.
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Better advice
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