DAVID HOPKIN'S reign at Morton couldn't have got off to a better start, with his side crushing Dumbarton 6-1 in the Betfred Cup opener.
Last season ended in farce at Cappielow, with previous boss Jonatan Johansson and assistant Peter Houston quitting just hours before the final game with Dundee United, accusing chairman Crawford Rae of meddling in team selection.
Morton still managed to finish fifth but Hopkin still had a huge job on his hands after taking the reins, with most of the team needing an overhaul.
His track record at Livingston, leading the Lions to the Premiership with successive promotions before moving to England, suggests he's more than capable of dealing with the task at hand.
And on the evidence of that rout against Dumbarton, it looks like Morton could be a force in the Championship this term.
Hopkin has made some shrewd moves in the transfer market, bringing in former Livi charges Kyle Jacobs and Nicky Cadden while strengthening his defence with former Falkirk stopper Peter Grant and the experienced Brian McLean.
But it's at the top end of the pitch that he's added some real quality with Robbie Muirhead and Aidan Nesbitt, while old war horse John Sutton has been tempted out of retirement.
Sutton got on the scoresheet against Dumbarton as did the prolific Bob McHugh after stepping off the bench. So it looks like this Morton side will have plenty of goals in them this season.
Motherwell's defence will be a harder nut to crack but backing both teams to score definitely appeals at 4/5 with Bet365.
Well began their Group A campaign with a 3-0 win over another Championship side, Queen of the South. But that victory was less comfortable than the scoreline suggested, with Stephen Robinson's side scoring twice in injury-time.
The Steelmen ended last season in fine form but talisman David Turnbull is out injured with the knee problem that scuppered his £3million move to Celtic.
Motherwell have also lost winger Jack Hastie to Rangers and striker Curtis Main to Aberdeen while skipper Carl McHugh has moved to India.
But Robinson has also been smart in the transfer market, landing Livingston stopper Declan Gallagher, Inverness midfielder Liam Polworth and Danish midfielder Casper Sloth plus his usual assortment of players from England's lower tiers.
Home advantage should just see the Fir Park side edge this one so try backing Well to win by a single-goal margin at 11/4 with Sportnation.
New signings Jermain Hylton and Serwin Seedorf both got off the mark after coming off the bench at Palmerston and that could earn them a start here.
Winger Seedorf is a distant relation of Ajax and Milan legend Clarence, becoming the latest relative of a superstar to ply his trade in Scotland. I'm hoping he won't turn out to be a dud like Mathias Pogba at Partick as I'm tipping Seedorf for anytime scorer here. The bookies have yet to price that up so keep your eyes peeled or request a price.
Five of Morton's goals against Dumbarton came in the first half while all of Motherwell's at Palmerston came in the second half. That makes picking the highest-scoring half a bit tricky but I'll plump for the second period at 107/100 with Marathonbet as I've a feeling this might be cagey early on.
This Scottish League Cup match between Motherwell and Greenock Morton will be played on Jul 19, 2019 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Motherwell vs Greenock Morton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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