AN intriguing Ayrshire derby at Somerset Park sees Championship-chasing Kilmarnock travel the short distance to face in-form Ayr United on Friday night.
Killie have really started motoring recently with three wins and a draw in the league after a shock home defeat to Ayr United last month.
They seem certain to battle out a fight to the end with shock-troops Arbroath to win the title and to be fair, with the squad Derek McInnes has inherited and partly assembled, they really should win the league at a canter.
But Ayr have hugely improved under new manager Lee Bullen having looked at one stage as if they were going to get drawn into a relegation dogfight.
They have also won three of their last four league games which included a magnificent 4-0 battering of Raith Rovers at Kirkcaldy at the weekend.
They've left it too late to get into play-offs surely, but they are certainly safe and have really picked up after what had been a dreadful campaign.
And their fans would love nothing more than to be the team that derails Killie's title hopes again.
How the bookies view it
Killie are hovering around evens although there is a spot of 11/10 with Betfred about. The Honest Men can be backed with McBookie.com at 23/10.
SBK have the draw at 40/17.
Recent head to heads
Ayr won the third Ayrshire Derby of the season at Rugby Park in a 2-1 win as can be seen below. However, Killie won the two previous meetings 1-0 and 2-0.
Players to watch
Kyle Lafferty should really be nowhere near the Championship, but Killie won a watch by signing the lanky Northern Irishman again. He's on five goals in six league appearances and is a fair price at 13/8 to score anytime with bet365.
Journeyman English striker Tomi Adeloye has enjoyed a decent season for Ayr having scored 12 goals including one at the weekend. He's 9/4 to score on Friday night.
Anything else catch the eye?
Killie daren't afford to slip up here and they should have too much against an Ayr side who have certainly improved.
Derek McInnes has plenty of options up front for Killie and they could easily score a couple of goals too at 7/5 with Unibet.
Somerset Park is one of the great old-school Scottish football grounds and a sell-out can generate plenty of atmosphere, especially on a Friday night. It might pay to get on the bookings if they are put up at a decent price.
This Scottish Championship match between Ayr United and Kilmarnock will be played on Mar 11, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Ayr United vs Kilmarnock prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
