TOP meets bottom in the Scottish Championship on Friday night as Dundee take on Cove Rangers at Dens Park.
The Dark Blues are in the driving seat to get themselves out of the second tier at the first time of asking, despite conceding a late equaliser away at Inverness on Saturday.
That Highland stalemate means Gray Bowyer's side hold a one point lead over Queen's Park with just two rounds of fixtures remaining.
In fact, if results go their way this weekend, Dundee could clinch the title, so they will be keen to deliver their end of the bargain when Cove Rangers come calling.
Paul Hartley's side are currently propping up the table but they showed that they are up for the fight for survival after earning a 1-0 win at relegation rivals Arbroath last weekend.
As such, Cove are now level on points with Hamilton Accies and know that if they can avoid defeat in the City of Discovery they will lift themselves off the foot of the table ahead next week's climax to the regular campaign.
Outright Betting
Dundee, who have claimed top honours in each of the last two meetings between the clubs, are short-priced 2/9 (McBookie) favourites to repeat the trick on Friday night
Cove Rangers have won just twice away from in 17 Scottish Championship road trips this term and that is reflected in the odds here, with the visitors big 10/1 (PaddyPower) underdogs while the draw is also considered improbable at 5/1 (PaddyPower).
Betting Angles
At the risk of stating the obvious, Dundee are too short to side with here, so I'll head to the Bet Builder market and couple up a home win in a game that features under five goals at 5/6 (Bet 365).
While Dundee are top of the table and are the joint-top scorers in the division, I suspect it could be a case of the Dark Blues securing another solid if unspectacular win here as they close on the Scottish Championship title.
Gary Bowyer's side have won 16 of their 34 Scottish Championship matches this season so far, with a sizeable 13 of those successes producing four match strikes or fewer.
Admittedly, Cove Rangers tailspin towards the foot of the table coincided with them haemorrhaging goals at an alarming rate, however their efforts in recent weeks suggest that they've tightened up slightly.
It's also worth pointing out that 12 of Cove's 18 losses in the league this term have failed to breach the 4.5 match goal barrier, a sample that includes two defeats to Dundee this calendar year.
With all that in mind, backing Dundee to prevail in a game that produces less than five goals at 5/6 (Bet 365) makes appeal on a night where tension and pressure could be running high for both teams.
Additionally, I'll also jump into the anytime goalscorer market and back Dundee's Zach Robinson to get on the scoresheet at 5/6 (William Hill).
Loan star Robinson is the Dark Blues' leading marksman this season and looks like a prime candidate to put Paul Hartley's side to the sword on Friday night.
This Scottish Championship match between Dundee and Cove Rangers will be played on Apr 28, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Dundee vs Cove Rangers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
