Stark’s Park could be a location to find a Scottish Cup upset this weekend, with hosts Raith Rovers in excellent form up against a Motherwell side who have lost their way in recent weeks.

The Kirkcaldy side come into this match with an undefeated run that stretches 11 matches in all competitions and saw them claim an excellent away win against Dundee in the league last weekend. Curiously, they have fared better on their travels than they have at home, with a succession of draws in front of their home support. Nevertheless, in all competitions this season, they have lost only three times at home over 90 minutes. They will be no easy nut for the Premiership side to crack.

Motherwell, meanwhile, are not in good touch at all. Their only victory in their last 12 came away to a Championship side in the form of Arbroath, but they were given a stern examination on that occasion. Since, they have lost successive matches against St Mirren, St Johnstone, and Aberdeen. It would be little surprise if they had one eye on their league form with them sitting joint-bottom of the Premiership.

Although they have fared better on their travels than at Fir Park this season, the odds of Motherwell going to Raith and getting a result are shorter than they deserve to be. The hosts have scored two goals in their last four matches and come into this game with the type of momentum that the Well are simply lacking.

Championship side Ayr should have few problems progressing to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup against modest League Two opponents Elgin.

The Honest Men have fared well at home this season, suffering only two defeats in the league, and have already negotiated tricky Scottish Cup encounters with Pollok and Cove Rangers without too many scares. The do come into this match off the back of a 2-0 loss against Queen’s Park, but that away game was always liable to be a difficult one.

Indeed, Ayr tend to pick off weak opponents relatively well. In the league this season, they have lost only two matches to rivals currently outside the playoff spots – and these were against the clubs fifth and sixth in the standings.

Elgin, meanwhile, have seen their playoff challenge in League Two falter amid a run of form that has seen them win only two of eight matches in all competitions. Last weekend, they drew at home to lowly Albion Rovers and prior to that they were beaten away at Stenhousemuir. All four of their away wins this season, meanwhile, have come against clubs in the lower half of the League Two standings when they met.

They have not progressed to this stage of the cup by beating a single team above the sixth tier, so this represents a huge step up for them.

These sides met previously in the League Cup at the beginning of the season, with Ayr running out 3-0 winners at Somerset Park, and a similar type of scoreline should be expected in this encounter.

The Coatbridge side may have enjoyed a small improvement in their form, notably recording back-to-back away wins over Bonnyrigg and Stranraer by 4-0 margins a month ago, but this has not translated into their level at Cliftonhill. Indeed, the Wee Rovers have claimed just two home victories all season, with these coming against the same opponents that they beat in January.

Brian Rice’s side will certainly draw optimism from the 3-2 win they achieved over East Fife in November, but the visitors will approach this match with some momentum after picking up a 1-1 draw against Stirling Albion last weekend. They were given a leg up on that occasion with a fortunate red card to the visitors via a case of mistaken identity, but their overall performance was far more encouraging than in recent weeks.

While their hosts have struggled at home, East Fife have actually thrived on their travels. Of the 27 points they have picked up this season, 18 have cone on the road, including a 1-0 win over Albion Rovers earlier in the season.

Furthermore, the form of the Fifers is reasonable at present. They have suffered only a couple of defeats in their last six league matches, which suggests they are starting to stabilise themselves after a difficult run of form.

Given the respective home and away records of these clubs, East Fife look a generous price simply to avoid defeat.