| 3 | Rangers | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 23 |
| 4 | Dundee United | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 20 |
| 5 | Motherwell | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 19 |
| 6 | St Mirren | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | -4 | 18 |
| 7 | Dundee | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 15 |
Stephen Robinson says league leaders Hearts will present a physical challenge at Fir Park on Saturday which the Steelmen will have to face up to.
The Motherwell boss is confident his team will be able to do that, meaning it will come down to which side can get the ball down and play to ensure victory.
Stephen Robinson’s men take on Hearts at Fir Park on Saturday, looking to follow up on a first league win against Dundee.
Here’s a look at the game in numbers.
Saturday’s clash with Hearts is the 297th meeting between the two teams in all competitions.
This weekend’s Premiership match comes 126 years after the first ever meeting between the two, which took place back in 1892.
Should ‘Well defeat the Edinburgh outfit, it would be a 92nd victory for the club against Hearts.
The combined number of goals both the Steelmen and the Jambos have scored in the league this season.
Saturday’s encounter puts the divisions top scoring sides up against on another, with the two outscoring both Celtic and Aberdeen in the opening four games of the campaign.
In theory, it should make for an exciting encounter on Saturday.
The number of defeats Hearts have suffered this season in all competitions.
Craig Levein’s men sit top of the table, having won eight of their nine games in 2018/19, drawing just once.
They arrive at Fir Park on the back of seven straight victories, defeating the likes of Celtic, Kilmarnock and St Mirren en route.
Since the 2000/01 campaign, Motherwell and Hearts have met each other 30 times at Fir Park.
In those games, ‘Well have won on 17 occasions against the side from the capital.
Hearts have won eight of those, with the remaining five games ending as a draw.
Hearts are the visitors to Fir Park on Saturday as Ladbrokes Premiership action returns after the international break.
The Steelmen won both encounters between the pair in ML1 last season, running out 2-1 winners in both.
With four wins from four, Hearts come to town as the team clear at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Having scored 10 goals and conceded just two, the Jam Tarts have already put Hamilton, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Celtic to the sword.
Stephen Robinson’s men won two from two at home against Craig Levein’s side in the 2017/18 campaign.
An early-season victory, with Jon Daly in temporary charge of the visitors, came courtesy of goals from Louis Moult and Ryan Bowman.
But the best was yet to come in the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter finals. With Kyle Lafferty having cancelled out Curtis Main’s opener, up stepped Carl McHugh with a rocket of an effort to win the match.
A few eyebrows were raised when Hearts forward Steven Naismith was given the nod up top for Scotland against Albania earlier in the week, coming into the team at the expense of Leigh Griffiths.
Any doubters were quickly silenced as the experienced man contributed to the first goal and netted the second in a big win for his country. He was joined in his performance by defender John Souttar, who looked assured and comfortable in only his second appearance for Scotland.
After a slow start to the league season, Motherwell have kicked on in their last few fixtures. A 3-3 draw with Rangers proved a huge lift, with Peter Hartley’s last-minute equaliser the least that was deserved.
A week later, a visit to Dens Park proved profitable. Goals from Danny Johnson, Gaël Bigirimana and Allan Campbell sealed the first three points of the season and continued an improved run of form.
Trevor Carson played 45 minutes for Northern Ireland on Tuesday night as they defeated Israel 3-0.
The goalkeeper earned his fourth cap for his country as he started the friendly match at Belfast, before being replaced at the interval by Michael McGovern.
Michael O’Neill’s team return to action in October, as they face a UEFA Nations League double header.
Both games will be played away for the green and white army, as they take on Austria and then Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Liam Donnelly was on the scoresheet for Northern Ireland as he marked his record-breaking appearance with a win over Spain.
The defender picked up his 22nd cap for the Under 21s on Tuesday night, becoming the record cap holder at that age level.
His night got even better as he scored a penalty to put his nation 2-0 up in Albacete.
Northern Ireland went on to concede in stoppage time but held on for a big 2-1 victory.
On his record breaking 22nd U21 appearance, Liam Donnelly puts us TWO up against Spain! 😍 #GAWA pic.twitter.com/KrvmNt7Y4J
— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) September 11, 2018
Chris Cadden and Allan Campbell both started for Scotland Under 21s as they defeated the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Fraser Hornby netted a double to keep the young Scots in the hunt for a qualification spot for the UEFA European Under 21 Championships next year.
Cadden played the full 90 minutes in the win, which was sealed through Hornby’s late penalty.
The Everton man had earlier netted from 40 yards into an empty goal after a mistake by the Dutch goalkeeper, before Teun Koopmeiners levelled.
Campbell was forced off late in the first half with a knock, having started the match.
A late Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leveller for Gabon denied Gäel Bigirimana’s Burundi all three points in their African Cup of Nations Group C qualifier.
Bigirimana, earning only his second cap for the country of his birth after a three-year absence, was named in the starting line-up for the match in the Stade De L’Amitié.
The Swallows took the lead after 38 minutes, Stoke City’s Saido Berahino scoring on his full international debut, holding off a handful of challenges before smashing low under the keeper at his near post.
It looked like it was going to stay that way until the Arsenal striker grabbed a point for the hosts just nine minutes from time.
The result leaves Burundi on four points after two games. They face a crucial double header against Mali next month. A win in both will have them in pole position for a spot at the 2019 tournament, which takes place in Cameroon next June.
Elsewhere, Trevor Carson had to be content with a place amongst the substitutes as Northern Ireland lost 2-1 at home to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the UEFA Nations Cup.
Very much against the run of play, the Bosnians took the lead through Dynamo Dresden winger Haris Duljević.
The hosts continued to dominate, but a mix-up between Craig Cathcart and keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell allowed Elvis Sarić to nip and double the visitor’s advantage midway through the second half.
Will Grigg did reduce the arrears in stoppage time, but it finished in defeat for Michael O’Neill’s side.
Stephen Robinson says the international break hasn’t been wasted at Motherwell, with the manager using the time to make improvements with the team on the training ground.
The squad worked Tuesday to Friday this week in the absence of a weekend fixture, but there was no chance the time would be used to relax.
“It’s a chance to work on things we can be better at,” he said.
“The attitudes around the place are great and everyone keeps pushing and pushing themselves.”
Curtis Main is enjoying the continued hard work going on in training, despite the break from action for internationals.
The Englishman, who is desperate for the fixtures to keep on coming, says there has been no let up at Fir Park, despite the lack of a weekend fixture.
“It’s been an intense week and the manager is driving that,” he said. “He doesn’t want us to take our foot off the gas even though there’s a break.”
This week’s Friday quiz calls on your knowledge of players who’ve picked up international caps while on the books at Fir Park.
Can you name the top 20 who have amassed appearances for their countries while plying their club trade in claret and amber?
