Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen are set to take on Scottish Championship Queen's Park at Pittodrie Stadium on Saturday in the second round of the Scottish League Cup.
The hosts won all four of their group stage matches to advance to this stage, while the visitors progressed as the second-placed side in Group C with three wins and one loss.
Match preview
Aberdeen endured a challenging 2023-24 season, falling from a third-place finish in the 2022-23 Scottish Premiership to competing in the relegation round after finishing ninth in the pre-split standings.
Barry Robson and Neil Warnock both left the club after disappointing stints in charge, meaning Peter Leven took over as interim manager from March until the end of the season.
Leven managed to turn the side's fortunes around, losing just two of the 11 matches he oversaw and lifting the club to a seventh-placed finish after the post-split fixtures.
One of the few positives throughout the campaign was Aberdeen's success in the two domestic cup competitions, where they narrowly lost to Celtic on penalties in the Scottish Cup semi-final and were heartbreakingly defeated 1-0 by Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final.
Jimmy Thelin, who took charge ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, has made a strong start in Scotland, winning all seven matches he has overseen across all competitions and he will be aiming to lift Aberdeen's first silverware since a Scottish League Cup triumph in 2013-14.
The hosts will be favourites against a Queen's Park side that play their football in the Scottish Championship, but the visitors will be hopeful of causing an upset.
Queen's Park have had an immense climb up the Scottish footballing leagues in recent years, securing back-to-back promotions from the fourth tier to the second tier between 2020 and 2022.
They qualified for the playoffs for a chance of promotion to the Premiership in 2022-23 but were comprehensively defeated 8-3 on aggregate by Partick Thistle in the quarter-final.
Last season, however, saw Queen's Park shockingly drop into the relegation battle, only escaping relegation back into League One by a point, placing eighth in the league.
Callum Davidson has impressed since being appointed manager in January 2024, but his side has failed to win either of their opening 2024-25 league matches, losing to Falkirk FC and drawing with Livingston.
Team News
Last season's top scorer and star player, Bojan Miovski, bid farewell to the Pittodrie Stadium in their most recent outing after agreeing to a move to Girona FC, with Ester Sokler likely to be his replacement.
Leighton Clarkson and Dante Polvara are also expected to be unavailable as the pair continue their recovery from injury issues that have kept them out of action since July.
The visitors should have a full squad to choose from for this match, and Davidson could name a strong side as he seeks Queen's Park's first win of the campaign.
Dominic Thomas scored 10 times in the league for the team last year and has already netted three times across all competitions this season, and the forward is expected to start here.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Mitov; Devlin, Rubezic, Molloy, Mackenzie; Nilsen, Shinnie; Morris, Gueye, McGrath; Sokler
Queen's Park possible starting lineup:
Ferie; Mauchin, Carse, Kerr; Longridge, Turner, Welsh, MacGregor, Scott; Rudden, Thomas
We say: Aberdeen 3-0 Queen's Park
Aberdeen have enjoyed a fantastic start under their new manager, winning all of Thelin's first seven matches in charge, while the visitors have failed to win either of their initial two games in the Scottish Championship, suggesting the hosts will win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
