BOTH Arbroath and Kilmarnock have made strong starts to the Scottish Championship season so that should lead to lively contest between the pair at Gayfield on Friday night.
This will be the first time these two teams have faced each other since 1991 following Killie's relegation from the Scottish Premiership.
Tommy Wright has overseen an extensive summer rebuild at Rugby Park and his new-look side have hit the ground running in the second-tier, winning five of their opening six league fixtures of the season.
Last time out, Killie cut the gap on league leaders Inverness to one point with an impressive 2-0 win at fellow promotion hopefuls Partick Thistle.
However, the Ayrshire outfit can expect another stern test on Friday night when they come up against an Arbroath side who continue to punch above their weight under Dick Campbell's astute management.
The Smokies have already claimed the scalps of Dunfermline, Hamilton and Partick Thistle and another three points on Friday night would send the Angus side to the summit of the Scottish Championship.
Outright Betting
Arbroath have won their last four league games but the bookies odds suggest that sequence will be snapped, with a home win chalked up at 5/2 (SBK) while a share of the spoils is an unfancied 9/4 (SBK) with the same firm.
Kilmarnock have triumphed in each of their three Scottish Championship road trips this term and another away success pays 103/100 at Marathonbet.
Betting Angles
Kilmarnock are unlikely to have things all their own way in Angus but I'm happy to snap up odds-against quotes on the visitors banking another three points on Friday night.
Tommy Wright's side have made a solid, if not spectacular start in their bid to bounce back to the Scottish Premiership at the first time of asking.
As already alluded to, Killie put another three points on the board at Partick last weekend but they have also posted road wins at both Hamilton and Queen of the South respectively.
Indeed, the rise of the Red Lichties has been one of the most remarkable stories in Scottish football in recent years, but a clash with Killie will represent an upgrade on recent challenges.
Kilmarnock signalled their intent during the transfer window by capturing a number of players with top-tier experience and I suspect they will have to much class for Dick Campbell's' crew.
With all that in mind, coupled with the fact that Kilmarnock have the chance to hit the summit of the Championship, I'll back the Ayrshire guests to grab a win at Gayfield
I'll also head to the Bet Builder market and combine over one Kilmarnock goal and under one Arbroath goal, a lofty 5/1 shot a Bet 365.
The above-mentioned combination has clicked in three of Killie's opening five league fixtures so I'll happily throw some loose change on the same formula on Friday night.
This Scottish Championship match between Arbroath and Kilmarnock will be played on Sep 24, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Arbroath vs Kilmarnock prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.