TONY DOCHERTY will be desperate to avoid a League Cup shock as he kicks off his reign as Dundee boss with a visit to League Two Bonnyrigg Rose.
There were plenty of surprises on the opening weekend and betting against goals paid off for me as Dundee United crashed to a 1-0 defeat at minnows Spartans.
Premiership sides St Mirren and St Johnstone also slipped up against lower-league opposition so complacency won't be a problem as Docherty takes his newly promoted side to New Dundas Park.
After a long career in the dugout as Derek McInnes' assistant, Docherty is stepping up as the main man at Dens. Premiership survival will be the goal and the new Dundee boss will be hoping to build some momentum in the League Cup group stage.
While this is Dundee's first game, Bonnyrigg Rose were in action at the weekend as they lost 2-1 to Inverness. The League Two side are now back on home soil and gaffer Robbie Horn will be looking to spring a surprise.
There was talk of Bonnyrigg emulating Cove and Kelty last season by winning League Two after coming up through the pyramid play-offs but Rose found the step up much harder.
Instead of challenging for the title they were embroiled in a relegation battle but Horn's boys got the job done and finished third bottom ahead of Elgin and doomed Albion Rovers.
For Bonnyrigg, the challenge is establishing themselves as an SPFL club and taking the scalp of Dundee in the League Cup would be a major statement of intent.
How the bookies view it
Dundee are heavy favourites with the Dark Blues 2/5 with most firms and Bonnyrigg Rose as big as 6/1 with Coral. The draw at 90 minutes pays a best 10/3 with Betfred.
Head to head
These sides faced off in the Scottish Cup two years ago and Dundee needed a last-gasp equaliser to take the game to extra time before eventually winning 3-2. That was the first competitive game between the teams.
Players to watch
Landing Zach Robinson on another loan from Wimbledon was a shrewd move from Dundee and the striker has netted four times in pre-season friendlies. He should lead the line here but I've yet to see any scorer prices.
Dean Watson is a new arrival at Bonnyrigg Rose after catching the eye in the Lowland League last term at East Strilingshire. The former Partick Thistle kid will be desperate to open his account with a goal against Dundee.
Anything else catch the eye?
Dundee have been in terrific form in their pre-season friendlies, beating the likes of Fleetwood, Arbroath, Cove, Bray Wanderers and Brechin. They've won 1-0 away to Championship sides in their last two outings so I fancy a win to nil for the Dark Blues at 8/5 with BetVictor. Betting against BTTS is also decent at 11/10 with the same firm.
We didn't see a lot of goals in the first round of games, with over 2.5 goals only coming up in six of the matches. That makes me think backing under 2.5 goals could pay off here and the odds are good at 13/10 with Bet365.
This Scottish League Cup match between Bonnyrigg Rose and Dundee will be played on Jul 18, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Bonnyrigg Rose vs Dundee prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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