After a 15 year absence, Falkirk finally make their return to the Scottish Premiership as they welcome Dundee United to the Falkirk Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Following a tough spell in which they even had to endure five seasons in the third tier of Scottish football, Falkirk made their return to the top flight after securing back-to-back promotions.
John McGlynn’s men have had an impressive League Cup campaign, as they topped Group A after picking up 11 points from their four group-stage matches, including a 4-0 victory over Spartans last weekend on an afternoon in which all three of my selections cruised in.
Jim Goodwin’s men also had a memorable campaign last term, as they finished fifth in the Scottish Premiership table in their first season back in the top flight.
That qualified The Tangerines for Europe, and they have already been in continental action, squeezing past Luxembourg side UNA Strassen 2-0 on aggregate.
Dundee United won the first leg 1-0 at Tannadice last week, before repeating the feat in Luxembourg on Thursday, on an evening where our man Kevin Mac landed a full-house of winners.
How the bookies view it: Bairns backed to make a winning return
Scottish Championship champions Falkirk are favourites to mark their return to the top flight with a win, with BoyleSports pricing them at just 4/5.
Dundee United look a bit overpriced at 11/4 to claim all three points, whilst the draw is 12/5.
Head to head: Three on the bounce for The Bairns?
These two clubs have only met in cup competitions in the past few seasons, with Falkirk winning 4-2 in the Challenge Cup two seasons ago and 2-0 in the League Cup last July.
Players to watch: Scotty to Strike?
Scott Arfield was an instant success since coming back to his second spell at The Bairns in January, with his nine goals helping seal the Championship title. The ex-Rangers man has also scored three goals in the League Cup this campaign, including the third against Spartans last weekend, and appeals to me at 7/4 at BoyleSports to net anytime here.
After failing to keep last season's top scorer, Sam Dalby, new signing Zachary Sapsford will be tasked with replacing his goals. The Young Australian netted the only goal in their first leg victory over UNA Strassen last week, and is 5/2 at BoyleSports to open up his Premiership account.
Predicted line-ups:
John McGlynn may name a similar starting line-up to the one that cruised past Spartans in the League Cup last weekend, with the experienced Scott Arfield playing just behind the striker.
Jim Goodwin will likely name another cosmopolitan starting 11, but Scot Craig Sibbald should feature in midfield following an impressive performance in Luxembourg on Thursday.
Falkirk: Bain, Adams, Neilson, Henderson, McCann, Spencer, Tait, Miller, Arfield, Ross, Graham
Dundee United: Kucherenko, Sevelj, Iovu, Esselink, Keresztes, Camara, Sibbald, Ferry, Trapanovski, Dolcek, Sapsford
Anything else catch the eye?
Whilst Falkirk are a little shorter than I thought they would be, I do like the look of The Bairns to make a winning return to the Scottish top flight.
Falkirk have been notoriously strong at home over the past couple of seasons, and will look to take advantage of Dundee United playing in Luxembourg in the Conference League on Thursday night.
John McGlynn’s side have also been banging the goals in in the League Cup – albeit against lower league opposition – scoring 14 goals across their four matches, and they are also 4/5 at BoyleSports to score 2+ goals.
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