St Mirren play host to Hamilton Academical on match day 25 of the Ladbrokes Premiership.

FORM

St Mirren - DDLWWL

Hamilton - LLLWWL

The Buddies come into tonight's match on the back of draws with Hibernian and Aberdeen over the last 10 days.

Saints side picked up a point at Easter Road following a 2-2 draw with Jack Ross' Hibernian on Saturday. Conor McCarthy and Tony Andreu had the Buddies 2-0 ahead inside the opening 20 minutes, but goals from Scott Allan and Christian Doidge before half-time meant Saints had to settle for just a point. 

That point came off the back of a 0-0 draw with Aberdeen at the Simple Digital Arena on Sunday 25th January.

St Mirren have only lost two of their last nine matches in all competitions - a 1-0 defeat at Ibrox two weeks ago today and a 2-1 loss to league leaders Celtic on Boxing Day.

Hamilton have lost their last three league matches, losing to Celtic on Sunday (1-4) whilst there were also defeats at home to Livingston (2-4) and an away loss against Hibernian (1-2). 

Both sides' last league win came on 29th December 2019 when Saints defeated Kilmarnock 1-0 at the Simple Digital Arena while Accies defeated Motherwell 2-1 at Fir Park in the Lanarkshire derby. 

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St Mirren are unbeaten in their last four against Hamilton Accies having won two and drawn two of their last four league meetings. 

The Buddies were 1-0 winners at the Foys Stadium in December with Cammy MacPherson's first goal of the season giving Saints their first away win of the season and their first win at Hamilton since 2012.

Saints were held to a 0-0 draw in Paisley earlier in the season despite Accies being reduced to 10 men when George Oakley was given his marching orders. 

Hamilton's last win over Saints was at the Simple Digital Arena in December 2018 as they won 3-1 thanks to goals from Dougie Imrie, Ziggy Gordon and James Keatings. 

TEAM NEWS

Seifedin Chabbi could make his St Mirren debut after signing for the Saints on deadline day. 

Gary MacKenzie, Kyle Magennis and Stephen McGinn remain out for St Mirren. 

Jamie Hamilton will miss out for the visitors after picking up a red card in their loss to Celtic. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"I think it's the most significant game we've had for a long time. It's an out-and-out six pointer. 

"If we go and win it we open up a six point gap over Hamilton. If they win it's game on again as they level up with us on points. 

"There's no need for me to remind the players or anyone else how important this game is. 

"It's going to be one of those occasions where you are going to have roll your sleeves up and get stuck in and I have certainly got players in my ranks that are more than capable of doing that."

Saints head to Ibrox tonight for our first Ladbrokes Premiership match of 2020.

FORM

St Mirren - WWLDDW

Rangers – WWWWWD

The Buddies come into tonight's match having beaten Broxburn Athletic 3-0 at the Simple Digital Arena in the William Hill Scottish Cup on Saturday.

Saints were made to work hard for the win but the Buddies dominance told in the second-half with Jon Obika scoring a double either side of a Danny Mullen strike.

Jim Goodwin's side closed out 2019 by defeating Kilmarnock 1-0 in their final league match of the year. Ilkay Durmus scored the game's only goal to keep Saints in 10th place. 

Indeed the Buddies have lost only one of their last five Ladbrokes Premiership matches - a 2-1 defeat to Celtic on Boxing Day.

Meanwhile, second-place Rangers have won their last four Ladbrokes Premiership matches defeating Celtic (2-1), Kilmarnock (1-0), Hibernian (3-0) and Motherwell (2-0). 

A win for Saints tonight could see them leap to eighth place in the league depending on results elsewhere, while Rangers would go top with a win should Celtic fail to beat Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

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Saints have already faced Rangers once this season, hosting the Ibrox side at the Simple Digital Arena in August 2019. 

A Borna Barisic free-kick on 59 minutes was enough to give Rangers a 1-0 win.

Saints were beaten on both trips to Ibrox last season with Rangers winning 2-0 in August 2018, before a 4-0 loss in February 2019 which saw Rangers awarded four penalties.

The Buddies last took a point off Rangers in May 2016 when Lewis Morgan's 90th minute equaliser snatched a 2-2 draw in Paisley. 

St Mirren's last point at Ibrox was in October 2011 when another last minute goal earned us a draw. Steven Thompson finished from close range in stoppage time to grab a 1-1 draw.

You have to go back to November 1991 for Saints' last win at Ibrox when Kevin McGowne scored the only goal in a 1-0 win.

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot played 65 minutes for the St Mirren Reserves on Monday afternoon but is unlikely to be involved tonight.

Gary MacKenzie, Stephen McGinn and Kyle McAllister remain out. 

Rangers are without the suspended Alfredo Morelos while Greg Stewart and James Tavernier are also likely to miss out. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"Rangers have been playing very well and their fans are right behind them.

"We're going to have to be disciplined in our approach, we're going to have to be compact and deny them space. If we do all that side of the game properly then we believe we have got good players in the forward areas that can cause them problems. 

"We had opportunities against Rangers the last time we played them. The big thing in these games is that you maybe get two or three really good chances and you've got to be ruthless when they come along. 

"The most important thing for us is to go there with that belief that we can go and cause an upset. If we go about our business in the right manner and we're organised and that structure of the team is where it needs to be then I do believe we can get something from the game. 

"We'll have a few boys that will be going there for the first time and I think they'll be excited. It'll be a great experience for them."

It’s Scottish Cup action for Saints as Jim Goodwin's side host Broxburn Athletic at the Simple Digital Arena tomorrow.

FORM

St Mirren - WLDDWL

Broxburn – WDWLWL

This is St Mirren’s first match of 2020 following the Ladbrokes Premiership winter break.

The Buddies closed off 2019 with a 1-0 win over Kilmarnock at the Simple Digital Arena. Ilkay Durmus’ 17th minute strike was enough to separate the two sides and give Saints a well-deserved three points.

The Buddies have lost only one of their last five matches – a narrow 2-1 loss at home to league leaders Celtic on Boxing Day.

Broxburn were due to face Linlithgow Rose last Saturday in the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division but a waterlogged park saw the match postponed.

The West Lothian side currently sit in sixth place in the EOSFL Premier Division having picked up 25 points from 14 matches.

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Tomorrow’s match will be the first ever meeting of the two sides.

St Mirren reached the fifth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup last season – defeating Alloa 3-2 at the Simple Digital Arena in January 2019 before losing 2-1 to Dundee United at the same venue less than a month later.

Competing in the Scottish Cup for the first time, Broxburn have already had to negotiate five ties just to reach this point in the competition having entered at the Preliminary Round 1 stage.  

A 2-0 win over Tynecastle saw them through to face junior side Girvan Preliminary Round 2. After beating the Ayrshire side 1-0, Broxburn entered the Scottish Cup proper taking on East Stirlingshire in the first round.

The East of Scotland League side edged out the Lowland League outfit 3-2 to set up a second-round tie with Cowdenbeath.

A late goal from their captain Nicky Locke saw them secure a replay with the League Two side after a 1-1 draw at Central Park. Broxburn ran out emphatic winners in the replay defeating the Blue Brazil 3-0.

A 1-0 win away to Inverurie Loco Works saw Broxburn reach the fourth-round to set up tomorrow’s match.

TEAM NEWS

Akin Famewo, Conor McCarthy and Jamie McGrath are all set to make their St Mirren debuts after signing for Saints last week.

Kirk Broadfoot has trained this week but the manager believes tomorrow comes too soon for the experienced defender.

Gary MacKenzie and Kyle McAllister remain out. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"We’ve approached the match in the same way we would approach every other game.

“We’ve got to be professional. We’ve seen Broxburn twice live and our video analyst has been working extremely hard over the Christmas period to dig up as much footage as he could.

“We put a presentation to the players to give them an idea of what to expect. It’s never a walk in the park but if we do the basics well and we go about it in the right manner then we should get through the tie but it’s never as easy as that.

“Broxburn have done brilliant. They’ll be coming with absolutely nothing to lose and hoping to go and give a good account of themselves." 

The decade comes to a close for St Mirren tomorrow afternoon as the Buddies host Kilmarnock at the Simple Digital Arena.

FORM

St Mirren - LDDWLL

Kilmarnock - LLLLDD

Saints come into tomorrow's match on the back of a narrow loss to Celtic on Boxing Day. Cammy MacPherson's 89th minute free-kick came too late for The Buddies after first-half goals from Callum McGregor and James Forrest had Celtic ahead.

Managerless Kilmarnock sit in sixth place in the Ladbrokes Premiership with 23 points from 20 matches. But the Ayrshire side have lost four on the bounce heading into tomorrow's match, including a 1-0 loss against Rangers on Boxing Day, and have failed to win in any of their last six matches. 

A poor run of form, culminating with a 1-0 loss away to Ross County earlier this month, saw Angelo Alessio leave the club with assistant manager Alex Dyer taking over as caretaker. 

Killie's last win came back in November when they defeated Hearts 3-0 at Rugby Park. Ironically, Hearts were also the opponents when Killie picked up their last win on the road back in October.  

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Kilmarnock edged Saints out at Rugby Park in October in the only meeting of the two so far this season. 

Despite a strong showing from Saints, Gary Dicker headed home with less than 10 minutes remaining to give Killie a 1-0 win. 

St Mirren lost all three league encounters against Kilmarnock last season losing 2-1 on two occasions and 1-0 on the other. 

The Buddies last league win over Killie was back in April 2015 with Saints running out 4-1 winners at the Simple Digital Arena.

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot, Gary MacKenzie and Kyle McAllister are all still out for Saints while Calum Waters can't feature against his parent club.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"Kilmarnock are a decent side. They have some good players in the forward areas, they've got some good experience throughout their team and we know it's going to be an extremely difficult game. 

"Mr Alessio has lost his job and Alex Dyer has come in and taken over. I suppose Alex will probably go back to doing things the way Steve Clarke did and rightly so as it was very successful for them over the last couple of seasons. 

"I think Kilmarnock will bring a good support with them and hopefully our own people will turn out in good numbers as well and fingers crossed we can give them a good win to finish 2019 off."

Saints play host to Celtic in a Boxing Day clash at the Simple Digital Arena.

FORM

St Mirren - DDWLLL

Celtic - WWWWWW

The Buddies are unbeaten in their last three having beaten Hamilton Accies and drawn with Livingston and St Johnstone. 

Saints last win at home was last month when Sam Foley's late strike gave Jim Goodwin's side a 2-1 win over Ross County.

Celtic's 2-1 win over Aberdeen on Saturday was the Hoops' 10th straight Ladbrokes Premiership win. 

Neil Lennon's side have only dropped five points so far this season drawing 1-1 away to Hibernian while losing 2-0 to Livingston - both in October.

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Celtic were 2-0 winners when the sides met at Celtic Park in October with Mohamed Elyounoussi and James Forrest scoring for Neil Lennon's men. 

That was also the scoreline when the Hoops last visited Paisley with Timothy Weah and Ryan Christie netting back in March.

St Mirren's last league win over Celtic was the famous 4-0 win in 2010 where Andy Dorman and Steven Thomson each scored a brace to defeat Tony Mowbray's Hoops side. 

The Buddies last picked up a point against Celtic with a 0-0 draw at the Simple Digital Arena in September 2018 in what was ex-manager Oran Kearney's first match in charge.

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot, Gary MacKenzie and Kyle McAllister are all set to miss out for Saints.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"Celtic have been playing extremely well and even in the games they're not playing so well they still manage to find a way to win the game. 

"It's going to be extremely difficult we know that. I think we have to take a little bit of hope from what Livingston did back in October albeit they have won every domestic game since then.

"There is always a chance. You've got to go into it with a bit of belief knowing that it is going to be a long afternoon but also believing that you are going to get opportunities. 

"We have to make sure we go into the game well-organised and difficult to beat but also try to impose our game on them as well. It's trying to find that balance of being hard to beat but being adventurous enough to commit enough bodies forward where we can try and hurt them."

St Mirren go on their final away trip of 2019 as the Buddies head to Perth to face St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

FORM

St Mirren - DWLLLW

St Johnstone - WDLDLW

The Paisley Saints go into tomorrow's match having picked up four points from their last two matches.

A first away win of the season against Hamilton two weeks ago was followed up by a 3-3 draw at home with Livingston last Saturday.

Jim Goodwin's side came from 3-1 down to earn a point thanks to two second-half goals from Jon Obika. That draw was enough to keep Saints in ninth place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

St Johnstone moved level on points with the Buddies on Saturday after a 1-0 win away to Hearts. Callum Hendry scored with 15 minutes remaining to give Tommy Wright's men a valuable three points and their first win on the road in almost a year.

The Perth side sit in 10th position - three points ahead of Hamilton and Hearts with 15 points from their opening 16 matches. 

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St Mirren came out on top in the 'Battle of the Saints' in October when the two sides met at the Simple Digital Arena.

Goals from Obika and Danny Mullen gave the Buddies a 2-0 win over Tommy Wright's side - the first St Mirren victory against St Johnstone since 2014.

The Buddies last win against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park was the aforementioned 2-1 win in 2014 where goals from Jason Naismith and Adam Drury gave the Paisley Saints all three points. 

St Johnstone were the victors on both occasions when the Buddies visited McDiarmid Park last season. Matty Kennedy and David Wotherspoon scored in a 2-0 win in October 2018, while Chris Kane netted the only goal in a 1-0 triumph in March. 

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot and Gary MacKenzie are still out for Saints.

Sam Foley and Paul McGinn trained yesterday but only have a 50/50 chance of featuring. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"St Johnstone are coming into the game on the back of similar results to us.

"They look as if they have made themselves a bit more rigid in terms of the full-backs not seeming to join in as much as they did in the early part of the season. That almost allows the front three to go and play high and not worry about their defensive responsibilities.

"The front players are dangerous. They are very good, have good pace and can cause any teams problems. 

"McDiarmid Park has always been always been a difficult venue in my time as a player and I imagine at this time of the year that the pitch will be quite heavy as well. It'll be a battle again which is something the boys have shown in the last couple of games that they are not afraid to go and do."

St Mirren are back at home on Saturday as Jim Goodwin's men host Livingston at the Simple Digital Arena.

FORM

St Mirren - WLLLWL

Livingston - WDDLLL

Saints picked up their first away win of the season on Saturday with Cammy MacPherson's first goal of the season enough to give the Buddies a well-deserved three points in a 1-0 win at Hamilton.

That win saw Saints halt a three game losing run to climb off the bottom of the table and move up to ninth place ahead of St Johnstone, Hamilton and Hearts. 

An emphatic 3-0 win over Kilmarnock on Saturday saw Livingston finally end a run of eight games without a win. Second-half goals from Jon Guthrie, Lyndon Dykes and Steven Lawless saw Gary Holt's men win for the first time since a 2-0 victory over Celtic at the start of October. 

A good start to the season, in which the Lions were unbeaten in their opening four league matches, has Livingston sitting in seventh place in the Ladbrokes Premiership on 18 points. 

Tomorrow's visitors have picked up six points on the road this season courtesy of a win over Ross County (4-1) and draws with St Johnstone (2-2), Hibernian (2-2) and Hearts (1-1).

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St Mirren have won two of the last three against Livingston but were narrowly beaten when the sides met at the Tony Macaroni Arena in August. 

Despite Kyle Magennis pulling a goal back, Saints were defeated 2-1 with Alan Lithgow and Lyndon Dykes scoring either side of half-time for Livi.

The Buddies were victorious the last time Livingston visited Paisley back in February 2019. Ryan Flynn scored an 89th minute winner to give Saints an important three points in their battle to avoid relegation. 

However, Livingston did win at the Simple Digital Arena last season. Gary Holt, who in charge of the Lions for the first time, led his side to a 2-0 win over the Buddies in August 2018 in their only away league win of last season.

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot and Gary MacKenzie are still out for Saints.

Sam Foley and Paul McGinn are also doubts for tomorrow. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"The important thing for us is that we try and back up that good win [against Hamilton] with another positive result. That's something we've not been able to do this season.

"Saturday is another opportunity but Livingston are a very good team and we know we have to be at it on the day. They are a better football team than people give them credit for.

"It's going to be all hands to the pump and players might need to play out of position but one or two had to do that against Hamilton last weekend and they were excellent. We know the attitude of the players. They'll play wherever they are asked to play and they will give their all."

St Mirren make the journey along the M74 to face Hamilton Academical in the Ladbrokes Premiership tomorrow. 

FORM

St Mirren - LLLWLL

Hamilton - LDLDDL

The Buddies fell to the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership on Wednesday night after a disappointing 3-0 loss at home to Motherwell. 

Saints are still looking for their first point on the road having lost in all eight away league matches this season.

The Buddies last away win came on the final day of the 2018/19 league season with Cody Cooke's hat-trick giving Saints a 3-2 win over relegated Dundee at Dens Park.

Hamilton come into tomorrow night's match on the back of a narrow loss at Celtic Park on Wednesday. Brian Rice's side looked to have secured a point at the home of the champions when Marios Ogkmpoe scored in 90 minutes to draw level. But Celtic found a winner in stoppage time to deny Accies what would have been a precious point. 

Accies haven't won in the league since the end of September when they defeated Livingston 2-1 at the FOYS Stadium, but have drawn three of their last six in the league.

Hamilton have drawn with Livingston (0-0), Kilmarnock (2-2) and Ross County (2-2) in recent weeks while losing to Celtic (1-2), Rangers (1-3) and Aberdeen (0-1). 

Since the sides last met Saints have won two, drawn one and lost seven in the league, while Hamilton have won one, drawn four and lost five. 

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St Mirren are unbeaten in their last three against Hamilton - drawing twice and winning once. 

The points were shared in the first meeting of the two this season as Hamilton held out for a 0-0 draw at the Simple Digital Arena in September. 

The Buddies were victorious in the final clash last season with Kyle McAllister and Kyle Magennis scoring late goals to give Saints a 2-0 win in May. 

St Mirren's last trip to Hamilton was in April with Saints coming from behind to draw 1-1 thanks to Anders Dreyer's penalty.

Accies last win over Saints was in December 2018 as they won 3-1 in Paisley.

You have to go back to 2008 to find Saints' last league win away at the FOYS Stadium when goals from Franco Miranda and Billy Mehmet gave the Buddies a 2-1 win, while the last win away to Hamilton in any competition was in February 2012 as Graham Carey's goal gave St Mirren a 1-0 win in the Scottish Cup.

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot is still out for the Buddies, while Gary MacKenzie will miss tomorrow's match after picking up an injury in Wednesday's match. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"It's a massive game. If you go and win the game you take yourself off the bottom of the table so that's the motivation that is there for everyone. 

"We have three games coming up that I think are the games we are going to be judged on."

St Mirren face Motherwell at the Simple Digital Arena this evening in the first of four home matches this month.

FORM

St Mirren - LLWLLL

Motherwell - WLLWWL

Saints sit in 11th place in the Ladbrokes Premiership following Saturday's 2-1 loss to Aberdeen at Pittodrie. 

Jim Goodwin's side put in a strong performance against the Dons and could have picked up a point if Tony Andreu had scored a late penalty

The Buddies, who have picked up 11 points this season - all of which have come at the Simple Digital Arena, have won two of their last three home matches, but just one out of the last six matches overall.

A win for Saints tonight could move them up to 7th in the league depending on how results go elsewhere.

Motherwell are fourth in the Ladbrokes Premiership with 25 points from their 15 league matches this season. 

They come into tonight's match off the back of their biggest league win since 2015 after defeating St Johnstone 4-0 at Fir Park on Saturday.

The Steelmen have won three and lost three of their last six matches beating St Johnstone (4-0), Livingston (2-1) & Kilmarnock (2-1), while losing to Hibernian (1-3), Celtic (0-2) & Rangers (1-2)

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St Mirren have faced Motherwell once this season - losing 2-0 at Fir Park at the beginning of October.  

Motherwell also won on both their trips to Paisley last season winning 2-0 on Halloween 2018, before a 2-1 victory at the start of February 2019.

The Buddies last defeated Motherwell in December 2018 when Simeon Jackson's second-half goal was enough to give Saints a 1-0 win at Fir Park, while Saints' last home win against the Steelmen was May 2015 as goals from Jason Naismith and Stevie Mallan saw the Buddies run out 2-1 victors.

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot misses out again for Saints.  

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"Motherwell are a very difficult, attack-minded team. 

"I think after Celtic and Rangers they have scored the most goals out of anyone [in the Premiership] so that tells you all you need to know about the attacking threat they possess. 

"It's not a game that we fear going into. We do believe that if we get things right on the night then we can win the game. 

"It gives us an opportunity to right the wrongs from the weekend and hopefully get a positive result on the board."

St Mirren make the trip up the A90 as Jim Goodwin's side get set to take on Aberdeen in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

FORM

St Mirren - LWLLLW

Aberdeen - DWWWLW

The Buddies are still looking for their first point on the road this season having lost in seven away matches in the league. 

Saints last away win was on 18th May when Cody Cooke's second-half hat-trick gave the Buddies a 3-2 win over Dundee at Dens Park.

Jim Goodwin's side face Aberdeen tomorrow following a narrow 2-1 loss against Hibernian at the Simple Digital Arena on Tuesday night. Junior Morias pulled a late goal back for the Buddies but it wasn't enough to avoid a first home defeat since August. 

A 2-1 win over Ross County last week moved Saints off the bottom of the table and up to 10th place. The Buddies are one of four teams currently tied on 11 points in the league with Hamilton and St Johnstone in 11th and 12th place behind Saints on goal difference, while Hearts are in ninth due to their superior goal difference. 

Third place Aberdeen come into the match on the back of a 1-1 draw with St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Sunday. Sam Cosgrove gave Derek McInnes' side a first-half lead, but St Johnstone, who ended the match with just nine men, levelled with just over 10 minutes remaining to take a share of the spoils. 

That draw halted a three match winning run for the Dons who had seen off Ross County (3-1), Kilmarnock (3-0) and Hamilton (1-0). 

Indeed their only loss in their last seven matches came against Celtic - losing 4-0 at Pittodrie to the league leaders in October.  

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Saints last faced Aberdeen in August with Ilkay Durmus' early strike giving the Buddies their first win against Aberdeen 

The Buddies also took a point the last time they travelled to Aberdeen with Duckens Nazon and Kyle McAllister scoring in a 2-2 draw at Pittodrie in February.

Aberdeen's last win against Saints was in December of last year when Stevie May and Sam Cosgrove scored either side of Cammy MacPherson's first St Mirren goal to give the Dons a 2-1 victory. 

St Mirren's last league win at Pittodrie came in May 2011 as Gareth Wardlaw's second-half strike secured Premiership survival for Saints.

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot remains out for Saints, but everyone else is available.

Craig Bryson could miss out for the Dons after taking a knock in Sunday's draw with St Johnstone, while loanee Zak Vyner is expected to return to the squad.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"Right through the spine of the team they have quite a physical presence. They've also got players in the wide areas, the likes of Niall McGinn & Ryan Hedges and one or two others, that can definitely cause you problems.

"But I do think that Aberdeen have areas in their team that we can get at as well. It's not a case of us going up there and being backs to the wall for 90 minutes. 

"If we can take confidence from what we did in the previous game against them we won't be far away I don't think."