Second-tier side Airdrieonians are set to travel to Pittodrie Stadium on Tuesday to take on Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup.
The hosts are currently sitting second in Group A with six points from two games, while the visitors are in top spot thanks to a superior goal difference.
Match preview
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A disappointing 2023-24 campaign from Aberdeen saw them fall from a third-place finish in the prior season to placing ninth in the pre-split table and top of the relegation round in the post-split table.
Despite the poor league campaign, the Dons were at their best in the Scottish League Cup as they made it all the way to the final, where they played Celtic, eventually losing on penalties after equalising in both the 90th and 119th minute.
After Barry Robson and Neil Warnock departed during the season, Peter Leven served as interim manager for that final, with Jimmy Thelin eventually being appointed as the new permanent manager ahead of this term.
Although they are yet to begin the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership, Thelin has already guided his side to two comprehensive victories in the Scottish League Cup, beating Queen of The South 3-0 and East Kilbride 5-0, and he will be looking to continue that run in this one.
Their visitors, Airdrieonians, come into this game sitting at the top of Group A after two outings thanks to a superior goal difference than their hosts with an 8-0 win over East Kilbride and 4-3 against Dumbarton.
The Diamonds will be looking to go further than their fifth-round exit against Hearts last season, when they lost 4-1, and impressive victories in their last two games will give them plenty of confidence.
Rhys McCabe's side have struggled away from home in recent times, amassing just 20 of their 52 points on the road last season with six wins and two draws from 18 Scottish Championship outings.
Airdrieonians will be relying on their strong attacking talent from recent matches if they are to take anything from this game with them scoring an impressive 12 times from two games, the joint-second most of any team in the competition.
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A dominant 4-0 victory against East Kilbride last time out could mean Thelin will name the same starting 11 here, but he could decide to make changes in order to build match sharpness ahead of the new campaign.
Last season's top scorer Bojan Miovski has failed to make an appearance in either of the last two games, but with the Scottish Premiership kicking off in just two weeks, the striker is likely to start here.
As for the visitors, two impressive victories in their last two Scottish League Cup matches could leave Rhys McCabe opting to name a similar starting side in this game.
Ben Wilson has scored four goals across those two games, even after starting on the bench last time out, and the striker is expected to lead the line here.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Doohan; Devlin, MacDonald, Molloy, Mackenzie; Shinnie, McGrath; Morris, Clarkson, Duncan; Miovski
Airdrieonians possible starting lineup:
Wright; Aiken, A. Wilson, Watson, Hancock; Armstrong, Agyemang; Frizzell, McMaster, McGregor; B. Wilson
We say: Aberdeen 3-1 Airdrieonians
Airdrieonians may be on a good run coming into this game, scoring 12 goals and conceding just three in their last two matches, but the hosts boast a much stronger squad, and we expect them to come out with a comfortable win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
