Alloa Athletic are set to take on Hearts for the second time this week, after the Wasps were defeated 3-0 by the fellow Scottish Championship side on Tuesday.

The two teams will meet in the second round of the Scottish League Cup this weekend, with both sides managing to get through the group stage of the competition.

Match preview

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson pictured on October 31, 2020 © Reuters

Alloa secured their place as runners-up in Group H, after winning three of their four group matches - conjuring up victories against Airdrieonians, Edinburgh City and Stenhousemuir.

Their only loss came against group winners Livingston last month, with the Scottish Premiership side able to claim a narrow 2-1 win against Peter Grant's men.

In the league, however, Alloa are struggling - having picked up just one point from their opening five games as they currently find themselves at the bottom of the Scottish Championship.

As previously mentioned, their last defeat came against upcoming opponents Hearts - with Michael Smith, Andy Halliday and Peter Haring all getting on the scoresheet.

Meanwhile, Robbie Neilson's men managed to top their respective group in the cup - claiming all four victories as they faced Raith Rovers, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, East Fife and Cowdenbeath.

Their latest cup result was a 3-2 triumph against Scottish League One side East Fife, featuring two goals from Olly Lee within the first five minutes of the game.

The Jam Tarts have also had a bright start to the 2020-21 season, picking up four league victories as they currently sit in second place in the Scottish Championship.

If they manage to pick up a likely win against Alloa on Saturday, they will make their way into the next knockout stage of the competition - competing in the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup next month.

The two clubs have only met six times in the past - in both the Scottish Championship and the Scottish League Cup - with Hearts claiming a victory on each occasion.

Alloa Athletic Scottish League Cup form: WWLW
Alloa Athletic form (all competitions): LLWDLL

Hearts Scottish League Cup form: WWWW
Hearts form (all competitions): WLWWWW

Team News

Hearts' Liam Boyce celebrates scoring with teammates against Hibernian on October 31, 2020 © Reuters

Grant may field a slightly weaker side to the starting XI that faced Hearts on Tuesday, with the Scottish manager focused on securing his first league win of the season.

The likes of Steven Hetherington and Alan Trouten could be rested, while Liam Buchanan is expected to start up front for the hosts, after his spectacular performance in the Scottish League Cup this campaign - netting three goals in four games.

For Hearts, Josh Ginnelly remains doubtful after missing their recent 3-0 victory against Alloa, with the winger recently pulling out of training due to a thigh problem.

Neilson could also rest a few players that featured in the win on Tuesday night - bringing in the likes of Lee, after the midfielder scored twice in their previous cup game.

Craig Wighton is also expected to replace Liam Boyce up front, with the striker likely to be rested for their upcoming league game against Greenock Morton.

Alloa Athletic possible starting lineup:
Parry; Robertson, Taggart, Lynch, Dick; Cawley, Scougall, Grant, Murray; Connelly, Buchanan

Hearts possible starting lineup:
Stewart; Brandon, Popescu, Berra, Kingsley; Irving, Lee; Henderson, McGill, Frear; Wighton

SM words green background

We say: Alloa Athletic 0-2 Hearts

Unfortunately for the hosts, it seems highly unlikely that they will be able to progress into the next stages of the competition. Although both clubs are expected to field weaker teams, Hearts will be more determined to make it into the quarter-finals, whereas Alloa will be happy to focus on the league.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Written by
Chelsea Harper

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hearts win with a probability of 55.58%. A draw had a probability of 23.1% and a win for Alloa Athletic had a probability of 21.28%.

The most likely scoreline for a Hearts win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.8%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.84%) and 0-2 (9.68%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.98%), while for an Alloa Athletic win it was 1-0 (6.13%).