Well or no Well

Motherwell are next up in Inverness for Sunday brunch in a 12:45 kick off at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium this weekend.

Stuart McCall feels his squad are ill prepared for this encounter. That will be due to the flu bug being rife in the area which has affected a number of his players. The Motherwell gaffer revealed that training sessions were cut short as his squad were dropping like flies leaving him with only four fit players at one point. So, it looks as though he will be missing some of his regulars, but he will not know who will be fit enough until nearer the day.

In the first game this season, Motherwell ran out 4-1 winners, a scoreline that flattered them somewhat, but it's goals that count and a Higdon hat-trick went a long way to securing the points. That, along with a tremendous display from keeper Darren Randolph saw Inverness slump to their second four goal loss in successive SPL games and things were looking bleak. However, that was nine SPL games ago and Motherwell were the last side to beat us as we embarked on an unbeaten run and a mini goal spree whilst the defence has been more frugal of late.

It's been a good spell for Inverness since the beginning of September. Beating Ross County in that first historic Highland SPL derby and progressing to the semi-final of the League Cup after beating The Rangers at Ibrox. The Scottish Cup pairing us with our Dingwall Shadows has amplified the rising optimism in the camp and the icing on the cake was the inclusion of Andy Shinnie and Billy McKay in their respective international squads. Add to that a stunning first goal for Owain Tudur-Jones last week and news that Inverness are looking to extend deals with their top players then it's a good time to be an ICT fan.

Motherwell started the season reasonably well until the week after beating Inverness when they won 1-2 at Dens Park. Since then, they have only one win in seven, but that was an impressive away win at Perth. Only five points in the last seven games is not the best of form for the Steelmen. Compare that to Inverness' run over the same period where we have amassed fifteen points then we will be seen as favourites for this one. Not our most comfortable position, but results will dictate this and our confidence should be on a high.

We disappointed somewhat last week at home to Hearts when we dominated the opening stages but failed to convert the chances that came our way, and as is so often the case these missed opportunities came back to haunt us as Hearts equalised late in the day to agitate the manager who took his frustration out on the plasterboard in the changing rooms. There is a bit of a traffic jam developing in the SPL with teams queuing up behind Inverness to get into the European spot. This will be a great opportunity for Inverness to create some breathing space and go back to third, but on the other hand, Well will be looking to jump above their hosts should they be victorious. It's as tight as a ducks bahoochie in there.

StattoMann tells us that this SPL fixture at Inverness has seen Motherwell come out on top eight times. Surprisingly Inverness have only won three games and even more surprising is the fact there has only been one draw in the SPL fixtures up North. This fixture has always produced goals, and there has been plenty of them from both sides. Both clubs have recorded 3-0 wins but the highest aggregate was a 3-2 triumph for Motherwell in October 2011 in a topsy turvy game where Inverness had been reduced to ten men with Chris Hogg being sent off. David Davis opened the scoring but Shaun Hutchinson levelled before the break. Andy Shinnie nudged Inverness ahead before Lasley fired a long range effort home a minute later and Tom Hateley made the most of Chris Hogg's sending off by rubbing salt into the wound from the resultant free kick with a deflected strike to steal the points. Good game but not the result we want to see repeated.

***Latest Team News***

Inverness midfielder Ross Draper has still not shaken off the ankle knock he sustained at Rugby Park. He is the only recent injury on top of the long term casualties of Chris Hogg, Simon King, Nick Ross and Ryan Esson, who has a hip injury.

Motherwell's Shaun Hutchinson had a positive training session on Friday and could be considered for selection but Steven Saunders remains out. The rest of the squad will be assessed on Saturday to see how the flu bug has affected them.

tm4tj Prediction:- After the frustration of watching the team let Hearts back into the game last week, I am looking for greater things here and a good reaction from the same players who disappointed last week. We have rapidly become accustomed to seeing our side create and score plenty goals and if we can get ahead then punish the opposition instead of handing them the initiative then we could get back on track. However, Motherwell are one of the more attractive playing sides and have the players to do damage to you. The likes of Higdon and Murphy spring to mind, backed up by one of the top keepers in the league, Randolph, then it could be a close game. But, we don't do predictability, so I am going for 3-1 to the home side.

Mon the Caley Jags