Sports Mole previews Saturday's Scottish League Cup clash between Arbroath and Dunfermline Athletic, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Arbroath will host Dunfermline Athletic on Saturday afternoon as the two Scottish Championship teams met in the second round of the Scottish League Cup.

The Red Lichties finished as runners-up in Group D, while the Pars comfortably topped Group E - winning all four group matches.

Match preview

Arbroath managed three wins in the group stage of the Scottish League Cup, with Dick Campbell's men able to pick up comfortable victories against Elgin City, Stirling Albion and Montrose.

Their only group match defeat came against Scottish Premiership side Ross County last month, as the Staggies picked up a narrow 2-1 win against their opponents.

Arbroath were able to open the scoring that day with striker Dale Hilson netting in the early moments of the second half from a free kick, before Ross Stewart scored a brace just 15 minutes later - including one from the penalty spot.

In the Scottish Championship, they currently occupy ninth place - just one point above Alloa Athletic, with the Red Lichties still searching for their first win of the 2020-21 season.

However, Campbell will be happy with the point they picked up against Greenock Morton last week as the game ended in a 0-0 draw between the two teams.

Meanwhile, Dunfermline have started off their 2020-21 campaign in spectacular form - comfortably winning Group E of the Scottish League Cup, featuring wins against Falkirk, Kilmarnock, Clyde and Dumbarton.

Their most recent cup game saw a tense 3-2 victory against Clyde, including two late goals from the Pars and a 91st-minute winner by Paul Watson.

Stephen Crawford's side are currently at the top of the Scottish Championship - conjuring up four wins and one draw so far, including a recent 2-1 triumph against Hearts - putting them one point ahead of the Tynecastle club.

However, their attention will be focused back to the cup this weekend, with a win over their upcoming opponents securing them a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Arbroath and Dunfermline last met in March earlier this year when both sides failed to hit the back of the net, ending in a 0-0 draw.

Arbroath Scottish League Cup form: WLWW
Arbroath form (all competitions): DWDLLL

Dunfermline Athletic Scottish League Cup form: WWWW
Dunfermline Athletic form (all competitions): WWDWWW

Team News

Campbell could field a similar side to the one that managed a 0-0 draw against Morton last weekend, with the likes of David Gold keeping his place in the starting XI.

However, Luke Donnelly could come in for Kris Doolan, with the striker failing to score in his previous three games.

Dunfermline, on the other hand, could rest some players for their upcoming league fixture against Raith next weekend, with Crawford hoping to continue their unbeaten run this season.

Kevin O'Hara could start for the Pars up front, having scored in their latest cup game against Clyde - replacing Declan McManus.

With his spectacular performance against title favourites Hearts last week, Crawford could also field Dom Thomas, with the winger both scoring and assisting in their impressive 2-1 victory.

Arbroath possible starting lineup:
Gaston; Thomson, O'Brien, Little, Hamilton; Linn, Gold, McKenna, Craigen, Hilson; Donnelly

Dunfermline Athletic possible starting lineup:
Gill; Bowman, Watson, Murray, Edwards; Whittaker; Dow, Turner, McInroy, Thomas; O'Hara

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We say: Arbroath 0-2 Dunfermline Athletic

It is hard to look past Dunfermline and their incredible form this campaign - and the Pars will be eager to pick up yet another victory as they head into the knockout stages of the Scottish League Cup. Meanwhile, Arbroath have failed to score in their previous two games and are likely to struggle against their visitors.

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.

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 Arbroath win with a probability of 44.31%. A draw had a probability of 28.2% and a win for Dunfermline Athletic had a probability of 27.5%.

The most likely scoreline for an Arbroath win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.61%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.83%) and 2-1 (8.45%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (13.03%), while for a Dunfermline Athletic win it was 0-1 (10.05%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 2% likelihood.