ABERDEEN haven't put a foot wrong so far in the Premier Sports Cup and have the chance to complete a perfect group stage when Raith Rovers come calling.
Jim Goodwin needed to hit the ground running in the new campaign after missing out on the top six last term and flirting with a relegation play-off fight until the last few weeks.
He completely overhauled the squad in the summer and the signs look good with the Dons winning all three of their group games so far without conceding a goal.
It took them a while to get going at Peterhead in the opener, ruining a HT-FT bet from Slips Tips, but Aberdeen seem to have hit their stride after thrashing Stirling Albion 5-0 in midweek.
Now they have a chance to inflict Cup revenge on Raith Rovers, with the Kirkcaldy men knocking the Dons out last year and sparking a collapse that eventually saw Steven Glass axed as gaffer after he had also started the season promisingly.
Raith are another team beginning a new era with former Airdrie boss Ian Murray now in charge after the departure of boss John McGlynn. Murray's reign began with a 6-0 thrashing of Peterhead but Rovers have stumbled to draws with Stirling and Dumbarton since then, winning one of the ensuing penalty shoot-outs.
A victory at Pittodrie would still see them progress to the knockout stages but the Kirkcaldy men will need to up their game considerably if they are to shock Aberdeen for a second year running.
How the bookies view it
It's no surprise to see Aberdeen as red-hot favourites with the Dons a best 7/10 at Unibet and Raith as big as 4/1 at Betway. A third successive draw for Rovers pays 14/5 at BoyleSports.
Head to head
That 2-1 victory for Raith last season (below) continued Aberdeen's poor run against Rovers in the new millennium. The Dons have only claimed one victory in the last four meetings and even that was a 3-2 Pittodrie triumph sealed by a late Scott Vernon goal in 2010. That came just months after Raith had claimed a 1-0 Scottish Cup win in the North East.
Players to watch
Christian Ramirez has started the season well for Aberdeen, with three goals from as many games, but is just 4/5 with McBookie for anytime scorer here. Winger Matty Kennedy offers better value at 7/2 after netting in his last two outings.
Jamie Gullan should lead the line for Raith and could be an option for long-odds punters at 5-1 with McBookie for anytime scorer. He scored in the rout of Peterhead but has drawn blanks in his last two games.
Anything else catch the eye?
I'm surprised to see Aberdeen as big as 17/10 with Unibet in the HT-FT market and that looks great value based on the form of both teams so far in the group.
Given that Raith drew a blank at Dumbarton in midweek, another Dons win to nil also looks a bit overpriced at 21/10 with McBookie.
The same firm have also priced up a corner handicap bet and Aberdeen -1.5 looks good for accas at 5/6.
This Scottish League Cup match between Aberdeen and Raith Rovers will be played on Jul 24, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Aberdeen vs Raith Rovers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.