Clyde v Greenock Morton

It has been a nightmare start to the season for Clyde. After losing 5-0 to Hibs last weekend, they suffered a 2-1 loss at home to League Two side Bonnyrigg in midweek. Interestingly, all the goals have come in the first half of these games, with Danny Lennon’s side proving to be horrendously slow starters. Morton are 2.3 to win the first half of this match, which given how abject Clyde have been early on, looks interesting value.

Clyde look a side that are short of legs and energy in the centre of midfield. The players they have signed do not yet appear to have the mobility to allow them to be truly competitive.

In addition, home advantage is unlikely to count for much for Clyde in the early stages of the season. They have left Broadwood and will instead play their home fixtures at Hamilton’s New Douglas Park. It is not a venue that any of their players know well, and indeed Morton may feel more at home given this is has been a Championship ground in recent seasons.

The visiting side kicked the season off in low-key fashion as they lost on penalties at home to Falkirk – a match complicated by the fact they went down to 10 men in the first half due to a red card to Jai Quitongo. They will be seeking to bounce back after a midweek, and if they want to progress in the competition, this is a game they need to win in 90 minutes. Clyde, meanwhile, are already out.

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Annan v Elgin

The early evidence is that Annan are set to punch above their weight again this season, having given themselves an unlikely chance of qualification from the League Cup group stage thanks to victories away from home against Queen of the South and St Johnstone, albeit the latter came on penalties.

Victory over Elgin on Saturday would give them an excellent chance of progressing into the knockout stage and landing a tie against a big opponent. It is a task that should not be beyond them.

Annan, after all, already have these two victories over high-ranked opposition to enjoy. On top of this, they won all four meetings against Elgin last season, including 4-1 and 2-1 victories at home.

The home side for this match also appear to be benefitting from having a relatively settled squad compared to last season. On top of this, they have got much of their transfer business done early this summer, which is giving them an edge going into these League Cup matches.

Elgin, meanwhile, had the relative luxury of a midweek off but are coming into this game off the back of a 3-0 loss away to Ayr United. That defeat gives them very little chance of going further in the competition, given that they will likely have to win all three of their remaining matches to stand a chance. On Saturday, they are faced with the longest trip in Scottish senior football: a journey of approximately five hours one way.

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Kelty Hearts v Albion Rovers

Kelty boast a formidable home record and should be backed to overcome Albion Rovers at home without too many problems. Although the money at the League Two champions appears to have dried up, meaning they have not bolstered their squad significantly for their first tilt at League One, they still boast a strong squad – in part because many of the players already at the club were on multi-year contracts – they should be too good for Rovers.

Last weekend, Kelty pushed Inverness hard at home and only suffered a 1-0 defeat thanks to a goal in the penultimate minute of the match. Last season, they did not lose a single home match against League Two opponents. Among these results were easy wins over the Coatbridge side, who went down 6-1 and 3-1 at the venue. Indeed, Kelty won three of the four fixtures between these clubs and drew a midweek away match 0-0 when the league was already effectively won. They clearly have the upper hand in this rivalry.

Rovers, meanwhile, have performed a little better than expected in their two League Cup matches this season. They were competitive against Livingston and Cove Rangers, though both of these games were home matches on their difficult Cliftonhill surface. Playing on the artificial track at New Central Park promises to be an altogether different challenge. Furthermore, this will be the part-timers’ third match in seven days. They may well need to turnover their squad to prevent fatigue and injury, especially as they have no prospect of qualification now.

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Stranraer v Dundee

It’s been a tough start to the League Cup group stage for Stranraer, who are effectively out of the competition after heavy defeats to Queen’s Park and Hamilton. They have lost both of these fixtures by a 5-2 scoreline and have clearly suffered from a lack of defensive quality in their ranks. To make matters worse, manager Jamie Hamill has no prospect rotating in these areas ahead of the visit of Dundee. This will be the third game in a week for some of his part-time players, and a combination of the hot weather and this being the first week of the season makes this particularly gruelling.

By contrast, the visiting side come into this match after having last played a week ago. That was a match in which they eased past 10-man Hamilton 3-0 at home. Unlike their hosts, they have a deep squad and notably have more attacking depth to their ranks. Of course, they struggled for goals in the Premiership last season, but against a League Two opponent, they should find these easier to come by.

Backing over 2.5 goals at 1.65 looks an attractive prospect in this game, given Stranraer have conceded 10 times in two matches, but equally there is scope for a handicap bet on Dundee. Look for them to try to establish a strong lead relatively early in this match so they can then channel their energy towards a midweek game against Queen’s Park.

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