Tommy Wright feels Motherwell will know they are facing a different team to the St Johnstone side they thrashed 4-0 in late November.
Saints have only lost two of their subsequent 12 games since that Fir Park defeat left them bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Wright has added experience in defence but feels everyone has responded to that loss, when three goals came from crosses into their box.
The Saints boss said: “We have had a couple of horror shows against them over the last few seasons. One was last year when we went a goal down and didn’t respond.
“We know it’s a difficult game but they will know it’s a difficult game. They will look at our form now and they will realise they might be coming up against a different St Johnstone.
“Liam Gordon was a big miss for us. He is slightly more experienced than Wallace (Duffy) and Madis (Vihmann) who were playing in there. Callum Booth has come in and been really steady defensively.
“But I think other players have stepped up to the mark in recent weeks. Ali McCann is getting a lot of credit but Liam Craig and (David) Wotherspoon in particular have shown leadership on the pitch by their performances.
“If you look at our performance up at Aberdeen the midfield three of (Jason) Holt, McCann and Craig were excellent. I think the whole team has responded.”
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