Expected goals
Motherwell expected goals (xG) 2026/2027
Scottish Premiership · after 7 matches · updated 4 Oct
Motherwell's attacking and defensive expected goals in Scottish Premiership 2026/2027, compared with the results they produced and with the rest of the competition.
Motherwell xG and xGA per match
Every match ↓| Rank | Club | xG per match |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Celtic | 2.77 |
| #2 | Rangers | 2.03 |
| #3 | Hibernian | 1.75 |
| #4 | Heart of Midlothian | 1.62 |
| #5 | Dundee United | 1.56 |
| #6 | St. Mirren | 1.44 |
| #7 | Motherwell | 1.36 |
| #8 | St. Johnstone | 1.30 |
| #9 | Dundee FC | 1.28 |
| #10 | Aberdeen | 1.00 |
| #11 | Falkirk FC | 0.90 |
| #12 | Kilmarnock | 0.89 |
- League avg
- 1.49
- Total
- 9.53 7 matches
| Rank | Club | xGA per match |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Celtic | 0.89 |
| #2 | Rangers | 1.00 |
| #3 | Heart of Midlothian | 1.26 |
| #4 | Dundee United | 1.44 |
| #5 | St. Johnstone | 1.52 |
| #6 | Hibernian | 1.55 |
| #7 | Dundee FC | 1.56 |
| #8 | St. Mirren | 1.57 |
| #9 | Aberdeen | 1.57 |
| #10 | Motherwell | 1.58 |
| #11 | Falkirk FC | 1.66 |
| #12 | Kilmarnock | 2.28 |
- League avg
- 1.49
- Total
- 11.07 7 matches
| Rank | Club | xGD per match |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Celtic | +1.88 |
| #2 | Rangers | +1.03 |
| #3 | Heart of Midlothian | +0.35 |
| #4 | Hibernian | +0.20 |
| #5 | Dundee United | +0.11 |
| #6 | St. Mirren | -0.12 |
| #7 | Motherwell | -0.22 |
| #8 | St. Johnstone | -0.23 |
| #9 | Dundee FC | -0.28 |
| #10 | Aberdeen | -0.57 |
| #11 | Falkirk FC | -0.76 |
| #12 | Kilmarnock | -1.39 |
- League avg
- 0.00
- Total
- -1.54 7 matches
| Rank | Club | xPts per match |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Celtic | 2.35 |
| #2 | Rangers | 2.01 |
| #3 | Heart of Midlothian | 1.68 |
| #4 | Hibernian | 1.54 |
| #5 | Dundee United | 1.43 |
| #6 | Motherwell | 1.37 |
| #7 | St. Mirren | 1.33 |
| #8 | Dundee FC | 1.24 |
| #9 | St. Johnstone | 1.20 |
| #10 | Aberdeen | 0.96 |
| #11 | Falkirk FC | 0.86 |
| #12 | Kilmarnock | 0.71 |
- League avg
- 1.39
- Total
- 9.57 vs 8 actual pts
Early-season figures: after 7 matches, per-match rates can move quickly.
What the xG says
Motherwell's underlying numbers sit close to the Scottish Premiership average. They rank #7 for xG difference at -0.22 per match, from about average shot volume at the league's lowest chance quality. Their 9 goals are 0.53 below 9.53 xG, while 8 points are 1.57 below 9.57 xPts. After only 7 matches, those gaps should still be read cautiously.
Actual vs expected
Select a row to chart it across the season.
Goals minus xG, match by match
Motherwell are 0.53 goals below their xG after 7 matches. The gap was widest at -0.89, against Falkirk FC on Sun 09/08.
- Goals
- 9
- xG
- 9.53
- Gap
- -0.53
- This match
- Match gap
- Running gap
| Date | Opponent | Goals | xG | Match gap | Running gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 02/08 | Hibernian | 2 | 2.00 | +0.00 | +0.00 |
| Sun 09/08 | Falkirk FC | 0 | 0.89 | -0.89 | -0.89 |
| Sun 30/08 | St. Mirren | 3 | 2.11 | +0.89 | +0.00 |
| Wed 02/09 | Dundee United | 3 | 2.15 | +0.85 | +0.85 |
| Sat 05/09 | Rangers | 0 | 0.51 | -0.51 | +0.34 |
| Tue 15/09 | Aberdeen | 0 | 0.77 | -0.77 | -0.43 |
| Sat 19/09 | Dundee FC | 1 | 1.10 | -0.10 | -0.53 |
Motherwell xG trend
Current form -0.12 npxGD per match
The last 6 matches with xG.
Out-created the opponent in 4 of 7 matches. The worst was against Rangers on Sat 05/09 (-2.64).
- npxG · last 6
- 1.13
- npxGA · last 6
- 1.25
- npxG
- npxGA
- npxGD
- Avg so far
| Date | Opponent | npxG | npxGA | npxGD | Avg so far |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 02/08 | Hibernian | 1.22 | 1.14 | +0.08 | +0.08 |
| Sun 09/08 | Falkirk FC | 0.89 | 0.43 | +0.46 | +0.27 |
| Sun 30/08 | St. Mirren | 1.38 | 2.27 | -0.89 | -0.12 |
| Wed 02/09 | Dundee United | 2.15 | 0.19 | +1.96 | +0.40 |
| Sat 05/09 | Rangers | 0.51 | 3.15 | -2.64 | -0.21 |
| Tue 15/09 | Aberdeen | 0.76 | 0.91 | -0.15 | -0.20 |
| Sat 19/09 | Dundee FC | 1.10 | 0.57 | +0.53 | -0.09 |
Each bar is one match's non-penalty xG minus the non-penalty xG against; the line is that difference averaged over the season up to each match, and it finishes on the dashed season average — 1.14 npxG and 1.24 npxGA per match. Current form is the same difference over the last 6 matches with xG.
Strength of schedule
- Season so far
- number 9 hardest of 12 in Scottish Premiership
- −0.05 xG vs league average
- Over 7 league matches
- Last 5
- number 8 hardest of 12 in Scottish Premiership
- −0.03 xG vs league average
- Over 5 league matches
Opponents behind the figures
Season so far
−0.05 xG vs league average · over 7 matches · number 9 hardest of 12
- Dundee FC Away −0.48
- Aberdeen Home −0.33
- Rangers Away +0.85
- Dundee United Home −0.09
- St. Mirren Away −0.08
- Falkirk FC Home −0.15
- Hibernian Away −0.03
Last 5
−0.03 xG vs league average · over 5 matches · number 8 hardest of 12
- Dundee FC Away −0.48
- Aberdeen Home −0.33
- Rangers Away +0.85
- Dundee United Home −0.09
- St. Mirren Away −0.08
Motherwell shots and chance quality
Average volume, low quality. Motherwell take 14.6 shots a match (league 14.2) at 0.08 npxG a shot (league 0.10), #6 in Scottish Premiership for volume and #12 for quality. 67% of their shots come from inside the box (league 68%), and set pieces produce 14% of their npxG (league 22%).
Attack
| Rank | Club | shots per match |
|---|---|---|
| =1 | Celtic | 20.0 |
| =1 | Rangers | 20.0 |
| #3 | Hibernian | 16.9 |
| #4 | Heart of Midlothian | 16.0 |
| #5 | Dundee United | 15.9 |
| #6 | Motherwell | 14.6 |
| #7 | St. Mirren | 14.3 |
| #8 | Dundee FC | 11.3 |
| #9 | Falkirk FC | 10.7 |
| #10 | St. Johnstone | 10.6 |
| =11 | Aberdeen | 9.9 |
| =11 | Kilmarnock | 9.9 |
- League avg
- 14.2
- Total
- 102 shots from 7 matches
| Rank | Club | npxG per shot |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Celtic | 0.14 |
| #2 | St. Johnstone | 0.12 |
| #3 | Dundee FC | 0.10 |
| #4 | Kilmarnock | 0.09 |
| #5 | St. Mirren | 0.09 |
| #6 | Rangers | 0.09 |
| #7 | Dundee United | 0.09 |
| #8 | Heart of Midlothian | 0.09 |
| #9 | Falkirk FC | 0.09 |
| #10 | Aberdeen | 0.09 |
| #11 | Hibernian | 0.08 |
| #12 | Motherwell | 0.08 |
- League avg
- 0.10
- Total
- 8.01 npxG from 102 shots
Defence
| Rank | Club | shots per match |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Rangers | 9.1 |
| #2 | Heart of Midlothian | 9.7 |
| #3 | Celtic | 11.1 |
| #4 | Hibernian | 12.4 |
| #5 | St. Johnstone | 12.6 |
| #6 | St. Mirren | 14.9 |
| #7 | Falkirk FC | 15.0 |
| #8 | Motherwell | 15.1 |
| #9 | Dundee United | 15.7 |
| #10 | Aberdeen | 16.7 |
| #11 | Kilmarnock | 18.4 |
| #12 | Dundee FC | 19.0 |
- League avg
- 14.2
- Total
- 106 shots allowed from 7 matches
| Rank | Club | npxGA per shot |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Celtic | 0.07 |
| #2 | Dundee FC | 0.08 |
| #3 | Aberdeen | 0.08 |
| #4 | Motherwell | 0.08 |
| #5 | Dundee United | 0.08 |
| #6 | Rangers | 0.10 |
| #7 | St. Mirren | 0.10 |
| #8 | Hibernian | 0.11 |
| #9 | Falkirk FC | 0.11 |
| #10 | Heart of Midlothian | 0.11 |
| #11 | Kilmarnock | 0.12 |
| #12 | St. Johnstone | 0.13 |
- League avg
- 0.10
- Total
- 8.66 npxGA from 106 shots
Shot profile
67% inside the box
League avg 68%
From 68 of 102 shots over 7 matches
Early-season figure: after 7 matches, the share can move quickly.
67% allowed inside the box
League avg 68%
From 71 of 106 shots allowed over 7 matches
Early-season figure: after 7 matches, the share can move quickly.
86% open play · 14% set pieces
League avg 22% set pieces
From 1.1 of 7.9 npxG over 7 matches
Early-season figure: after 7 matches, the share can move quickly.
76% open play · 24% set pieces
League avg 22% set pieces
From 2.1 of 8.7 npxG allowed over 7 matches
Early-season figure: after 7 matches, the share can move quickly.
Motherwell home and away xG
| Measure | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Matches | 3 | 4 |
| xG / match | 1.27 | 1.43 |
| xGA / match | 0.51 | 2.38 |
| xGD / match | +0.76 | -0.95 |
| xPts / match Model — Model output — computed from each match's xG, not a result. How xPts works → | 1.90 | 0.97 |
Every figure divides by that half's matches with xG. A half with fewer than 3 matches with xG is muted.
Every Motherwell match by xG
This season
- Matches
- 7
- xG / match
- 1.36
- xGA / match
- 1.58
- xGD / match
- -0.22
- Points
- 8 of 21
- Sat 19/09 Dundee FC A xG 1.10 xGA 1.36 P xGD -0.26 xPts 1.13
- Tue 15/09 Aberdeen H xG 0.77 xGA 0.91 xGD -0.14 xPts 1.19
- Sat 05/09 Rangers A Weakest underlying xG 0.51 xGA 3.93 P xGD -3.42 xPts 0.05
- Wed 02/09 Dundee United H Best underlying xG 2.15 xGA 0.19 xGD +1.96 xPts 2.74
- Sun 30/08 St. Mirren A xG 2.11 P xGA 2.32 xGD -0.21 xPts 1.25
- Sun 09/08 Falkirk FC H xG 0.89 xGA 0.44 xGD +0.45 xPts 1.76
- Sun 02/08 Hibernian A xG 2.00 P xGA 1.92 P xGD +0.08 xPts 1.44
Newest first. The dot is xG and the ring is xGA, on one scale from 0 to 3.93. Best and weakest underlying mark the highest and lowest xGD once 5 matches have xG. Against the chances marks a win with xGD of −1.00 or lower, or a loss with +1.00 or higher. P marks a side with at least 0.50 xG from penalties.
Motherwell in Scottish Premiership
Attack
- xG / match #7 of 12
- Shots / match #6 of 12
- Chance quality #12 of 12
- Home xG #10 of 12
- Away xG #5 of 12
Defence
- xGA / match #10 of 12
- Shots allowed #8 of 12
- Chance quality allowed #4 of 12
About the data
- xG data
- Provided by TheStatsAPI, and stored as published.
- Derived metrics
- xGD, per-match rates, rankings and rolling averages are calculated from the match data.
- Model metrics
- xPts is produced by our probability model.