COVE RANGERS and Kelty Hearts are two of the biggest success stories in Scottish football in recent years and they meet in an intriguing Premier Sports Cup tie on Tuesday.
The Aberdeen club have rocketed up the divisions and will play in the Championship having being a Highland League Club four years ago.
And their Fife opponents romped to the Lowland League and then League Two titles and will play in the third tier of Scottish football this season.
However, both of them have not enjoyed the best of League Cup campaigns so far and are struggling to make an impact.
Cove gave Livingston a real fright on Saturday before eventually losing 2-1 to the Premiership outfit. Previously, they sneaked a 2-1 win in Coatbridge against Albion Rovers.
But big-spending Kelty Hearts – who lost manager Kevin Thomson in the summer, who was replaced by John Potter – have lost both their home games to Inverness before being stunned by lowly Alvion Rovers at the weekend.
So neither side are going into the game full of confidence.
How the bookies view it
Hosts Cove are favourites and can be backed at 8/11 with Paddy Power. Kelty are 31/10 with McBookie.com and the draw is 14/5 with William Hill.
Recent head to heads
The clubs have never met before. Here's footage below of Cove's weekend game against Livingston where they took the lead only to lose 2-1 at their Balmoral Stadium.
Players to watch
Cove skipper and talisman Mitch Megginson helped himself to 24 goals last season but has yet to open his account for the season. The former Aberdeen striker is a prolific scorer and will be desperate to get his season off and running and is 11/8 to score anytime with McBookie.com.
Nathan Austin's goals helped Kelty Hearts romp to the League Two title last season and he's only just back fit after an injury now. He netted 21 goals last term. He is 11/5 to net with McBookie.com.
Anything else catch the eye?
Kelty haven't quite clicked so far under John Potter and Cove are also under new management with Jim McIntyre replacing Paul Hartley. The draw could be the way to go here with neither firing on full cylinders.
But both these teams have proved over the years they have goals in them and they can provide an entertaining encounter in Aberdeen.
Over 3.5 goals is 41/20 with Unibet and that could be worth a nibble, with both sides having to go for it to be in with a shout of qualification.
This Scottish League Cup match between Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts will be played on Jul 19, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Cove Rangers vs Kelty Hearts prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
