Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s Scottish League Cup clash between Buckie Thistle and Dundee United, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Scottish Premiership side Dundee United will travel to Victoria Park for Tuesday’s Scottish League Cup clash against Buckie Thistle on Tuesday.
Dundee United are in second place in Group B with six points to their name, while the hosts are sitting bottom of the standings after suffering consecutive defeats.
Match preview
Last season, Buckie Thistle won their final six matches to win the Highland Football League title on goal difference ahead of second-placed Brechin City.
Unfortunately for the Jags, they were denied the chance to face East Kilbride in the promotion playoff after failing to secure a bronze club license from the SFA.
Graeme Stewart subsequently left his position as manager after 10 years, taking the tough decision so he could spend more time with his family.
Lewis MacKinnon, who has stepped up from his role as assistant manager, began his tenure with a heavy 4-0 defeat to Stenhousemuir in their opening game in the Scottish League Cup.
They then fell to a disappointing 5-1 loss in Saturday’s home clash with Falkirk, leaving them six points adrift of the top two with just two matches left to play in the group.
Dundee United, meanwhile, are preparing for a Scottish Premiership campaign after they won the Championship title to secure an immediate return to the top flight.
Before they begin their league campaign next month, Dundee United will look to secure a place in the Scottish League Cup knockout rounds for the third time in four seasons.
Jim Goodwin‘s side began their League Cup group with a 2-0 loss to Falkirk, before they bounced back with a commanding 3-0 win in their home game against Stenhousemuir.
They went on to record another home victory in Saturday’s clash against Ayr United, with David Babunski and Brandon Forbes grabbing a goal apiece to clinch a narrow 2-1 win.
Having collected six points from three matches, Dundee United are sitting in second position and behind leaders Falkirk on goal difference, knowing that a failure to secure all three points could leave them at risk of missing out on a last-16 spot.
Buckie Thistle Scottish League Cup form:
Dundee United Scottish League Cup form:
Team News
Buckie Thistle are still expected to be without defender Darryl McHardy and midfielder Kevin Fraser due to injury.
Having seen his side concede nine goals in two matches, Mackinnon could be tempted to switch to a back five which could feature Joe McCabe, Ryan Fyffe, Hamish Munro, Innes McKay and Cohen Ramsay.
Josh Peters represents one of the home side’s main goal threats, having scored 29 goals in 45 appearances since joining the club in the summer of 2022.
As for the visitors, summer signing Ryan Strain will miss a second straight game after sustaining a hamstring injury in the win over Stenhousemuir.
Goalkeeper Jack Walton started the first and third group match, so Dave Richards could be recalled after he featured in the second group game.
Goodwin could be tempted to make a couple more changes to freshen up the side, with Miller Thomson and Kai Fotheringham both in contention to start against Buckie Thistle.
Buckie Thistle possible starting lineup:
Ridgers; McCabe, Fyffe, Munro, McKay, Ramsay; MacAskill, Pugh, Wood, Goodall; Peters
Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Richards; Gallagher, Holt, Graham; Grimshaw, Sibbald, Thomson, Ferry; Fotheringham, Trapanovski, Moult
We say: Buckie Thistle 0-4 Dundee United
Buckie Thistle have struggled to compete with their higher-league opponents in the first two games, and we think that they could experience another difficult outing when they face a Scottish Premiership side in Tuesday’s contest.
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