ONLY one third-tier side has ever reached the Scottish Cup Final but Falkirk will fancy their chances if they can see off Ayr United to book a Hampden semi-final.
Securing an SPFL Championship return remains the priority for the Bairns this season but fans will also be dreaming of lifting the Cup for the third time in their history.
Their last triumph came way back in 1957 but Falkirk also have a good recent pedigree, having been runners-up in 1997, 2009 and 2015. And if John McGlynn's men do grace another showpiece they will follow in the fairytale footsteps of Gretna, who reached the 2006 final as a third-tier side and only lost out on penalties against Hearts.
But Championship high flyers Ayr United are also out to make a bit of history as the Honest Men look to reach a Scottish Cup Final for the first time.
Like Falkirk, the main target for Ayr this season will be promotion as Lee Bullen's men sit in fourth place, just eight points behind leaders Queen's Park with a game in hand.
The Somerset Park men were surprise pace-setters in the title race earlier in the season but hit a slump where they collected just one point from four league games.
However, they got back on track with an excellent 3-1 win at Morton in midweek on the same night that Falkirk's League One title bid suffered a potentially fatal blow with defeat to Dunfermline.
That will have dented morale amongst the Bairns a little but with a passionate home crowd roaring them on, McGlynn's side will be desperate to bounce back by beating Ayr.
How the bookies view it
This is a tough one to call with Falkirk having lost just once in their last 12 games. They have won five in a row at home and that's probably why McBookie make them 4/5 favourites to reach the semis, with Ayr United priced 20/21. For a win inside 90 minutes, the Bairns are 29/20 at BetVictor who price the Honest Men at 15/8 while the draw at 90 minutes pays 5/2 at Betfair.
Head to head
The last two meetings of these sides were in the League Cup, with Ayr coming out on top both times. They won 2-1 at Somerset Park in 2019 then followed it up with a 3-0 triumph at the same venue two years later. Falkirk's home record against the Honest Men is decent though, losing just once in the last seven.
Players to watch
Callumn Morrison has done me a turn with scorer bets a few times this season, with the winger netting 14 times. The former Hearts kid has the talent to hurt Ayr's defence and is 5/2 with Bet356 for anytime scorer.
It's hard to look past Dipo Akinyemi for an Ayr goal, with the striker netting in his last two outings to take his tally for the season to 20. Falkirk won't have faced anyone with his power this season and the Englishman is 8/5 with Bet365 for another goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
I thought Ayr would see off League Two Elgin pretty easily in the last round but they needed a late leveller before winning 4-1 in extra-time. Keeping clean sheets has been a problem for Bullen's side, with just one in their last six games, so I fancy BTTS here, although the odds aren't great at a best 7/10 with Bet365. Over 2.5 strikes is a bit better as that pays 9/10 at BetVictor.
Bairns stopper Coll Donaldson has racked up seven yellows and a red this season and might be tasked with keeping tabs on man mountain Akinyemi. That makes him a good candidate for another card, a bet that pays 5/4 with McBookie.
This Scottish Cup match between Falkirk and Ayr United will be played on Mar 13, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Falkirk vs Ayr United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
