KILMARNOCK will look to wrap up top spot in Scottish League Cup Group F by claiming three points against Albion Rovers at Cliftonhill on Saturday.
Derek McInnes' men head into the final set of group phase fixtures occupying second spot in the section following Wednesday night's 2-2 with Raith Rovers, with the Kirkcaldy club pocketing the bonus point in the penalty shoot-out that followed.
That means the Ayrshire outfit are one point in front of third-placed Raith and one point behind group leaders Dunfermline, although the Pars have now fulfilled their four pool fixtures.
As such, Killle go into their final Group F fixture with Albion Rovers this weekend knowing that their fate is in their own hands.
The Coatbridge club, meanwhile, head into the forthcoming league season in unfamiliar territory after seeing their 120-year spell in Scottish senior football broken following their relegation to the Lowland League last term.
Sandy Clark's side were expected to be the whipping boys of the section but they did earn an encouraging 2-1 win away at Annan either side of defeats against Raith Rovers and Dunfermline respectively.
Outright Betting
Albion Rovers are big 7/1 (Betfred) outsiders to bow out of the competition with a win while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 4/1 (Betfred) with the same bookmaker.
Kilmarnock are short priced 1/3 (Bet 365) favourites to get the win they need to ensure they finish top of the group.
Betting Angles
Kilmarnock are too short to side with at the above mentioned quote but backing the visitors in the Half Time/Full Time market will bump the odds up to an enticing even-money (Boylesports).
As already alluded to, Kilmarnock's League Cup destiny is in their own hands ahead of their final Group F fixture and it would be fair to say that this ranks as their easiest assignment on paper.
What's more, Killie manager Derek McInnes will demand a response from his side after they fluffed their lines in midweek, something they can ill-afford a repeat of at Cliftonhill.
While Albion will be hoping to cause an upset, there's a gulf in class between this pair and that is likely to become apparent right from the word go.
It's also worth pointing out that this bet would have paid out when Dunfermline visited this venue on Tuesday night, and that only adds to the appeal of backing Kilmarnock to follow suit on Saturday.
With all that in mind, backing the away side to be leading at half time en-route to victory looks worth taking on at an eye-catching even-money (Boylesports).
On a similar train of thought to the above, I'll also go with what is an appetising looking 13/10 (Boylesports) shot on Kilmarnock to Win to Nil.
Both Raith Rovers and Dunfermline kept their respective sheets clean when dispatching Albion Rovers, so backing top-flight Kille to repeat the trick here represents a nice spot of value at 13/10 (Boylesports).
This Scottish League Cup match between Albion Rovers and Kilmarnock will be played on Jul 29, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Albion Rovers vs Kilmarnock prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.