Ross County and Raith Rovers return to action in Group H of the Scottish League Cup when they go head to head at the Global Energy Stadium on Saturday.
This will be the first encounter between the two sides since they met in the playoff final back in May, when the Staggies picked up a dominant 6-1 victory to secure their top-flight status for a sixth consecutive season.
Match preview
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Ross County picked up a dream start to the new campaign as they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Stranraer in the League Cup curtain-raiser at Stair Park on Saturday.
A brace from Jordan White inside the opening 32 minutes put the visitors in a commanding lead heading into half time, and after Deryn Lang pulled one back for Stanraer in the 82nd minute, Eamonn Brophy found the target to see off any late comeback scare.
This was in keeping with their stellar performance in pre-season, when the Staggies won their two warm-up matches, claiming a 2-1 victory over Brora on July 6, three days before thrashing amateur side Clachnacuddin FC 6-0 at the Grant Street Park.
Ross County endured a forgettable 2023-24 campaign as they picked up 30 points from their 33 matches in the regular season before finishing fifth in the Scottish Premiership relegation round, just one place above sixth-placed Livingston in the automatic relegation spot.
However, a stunning display in the playoff saw Don Cowie's men salvage their season at the final hurdle for the second consecutive season as they secured a 6-1 aggregate victory over Raith Rovers.
Goals from Yan Dhanda and Jack Baldwin helped Ross County secure a 2-1 first-leg win over the Championship side on May 23, three days before they secured a dominant 4-0 victory in the return leg on home turf.
While Raith Rovers are back to square one in the Championship, head coach Ian Murray will be impressed with the display from last term and will urge his side to go one step further this season.
Having finished second in the table, just six points behind league winners Dundee United in the automatic promotion spot, the Rovers secured a penalty-shootout victory over Partick Thistle in the playoff semi-final following a 3-3 aggregate draw, before their final great break against Ross County.
Raith Rovers showed positive signs in pre-season, where they kicked off their warm-up fixtures with a goalless draw with East Fife on June 29, before claiming victories over Montrose and Inverness Caledonian Thistle in their final two games.
Murray's men have carried their solid pre-season form into the new campaign as they have registered two wins on the board this season, beating Stirling Albion and Stranraer in their first two League Cup games.
A hat-trick from forward Aidan Connolly inspired Raith Rovers to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Stirling Albion in their League Cup curtain-raiser on July 13 before securing a 2-1 win over Stranraer courtesy of goals from Euan Murray and Jackson Hamilton on Tuesday.
While they will be looking to keep the juggernaut rolling and make it three straight wins to start the season, next up is the challenge of taking on Ross County who have won each of their last three meetings, scoring 11 goals and conceding once since a penalty-shootout victory in the League Cup third round on July 2016.
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Team News
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Following a solid team display against Stranraer, Cowie could name a similar side this weekend, with Ricki Lamie, James Brown and Akil Wright forming the back three once again.
Having netted a brace on Tuesday, White, who scored five goals in the Premiership, should lead the Staggies' attack once again, alongside strike partner Brophy.
Irish striker Ronan Hale has been brought in to replace Simon Murray, who recently completed a move to Dundee FC, and the Irishman could be handed his debut this weekend.
Raith Rovers striker Hamilton was forced off midway through the first half against Stranraer on Tuesday and the 24-year-old, who netted seven goals in the Championship last season, is a major doubt for Saturday's game.
In his absence, Callum Smith should lead the Rovers' attack this weekend, while we expect an unchanged midfield trio of Scott Brown, Joshua Mullin and 28-year-old Ross Matthews.
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Hamilton; Lamie, Brown, Wright; MacLeod, Leak, Allardice, Loturi, Reid; White, Brophy
Raith Rovers possible starting lineup:
Dabrowski; Freeman, Fordyce, Murray, Stevenson; Brown, Mullin, Matthews; Connolly, Easton, Smith
We say: Ross County 3-1 Raith Rovers
Ross County and Raith Rovers have both enjoyed solid starts to the campaign, so this makes for an exciting showdown at the Global Energy Stadium.
The Staggies have won their last three games against Murray's men and we fancy them to come away with all three points once again in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
