St Mirren fired blanks on the road in their League Cup group stage opener on Saturday and need to find a cutting edge on their travels when they take on minnows Forfar Athletic.
Having impressed in their pre-season friendlies, I fancied the Buddies to win comfortably in Arbroath against a side who have just won promotion to the second tier.
But Stephen Robinson's side flopped at Gayfield, failing to register a single shot on target in a dreary game that ended without a goal being scored.
To make matters worse, skipper Mark O'Hara was sent off late on and St Mirren went on to lose the shootout, depriving them of a bonus point.
With a decent Ayr United side also in Group D, Robinson's troops can't afford many more slip-ups if they're to advance to the knockout stages.
It would be a surprise if they dropped more points away to Forfar, with the Loons finishing second bottom of League Two last season.
However, Jim Weir's side got off to a decent start at the weekend and sit above the Buddies in Group D after beating Annan on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
How the bookies view it: Forfar written off
Even though St Mirren were dreadful at Gayfield, they are still BoyleSports' heavy 1/4 favourites against League Two opposition. Forfar are 15/2 outsiders and the draw pays 4/1.
Head to head: Cup's half full or half empty for Loons?
These sides faced off in the League Cup groups two years ago and St Mirren romped to a 4-0 win in Paisley. Forfar have beaten the Buddies just twice in 25 meetings but both those wins came in the League Cup, including a memorable 5-2 triumph in Paisley back in 2004.
Players to watch: Jonah could get his chance
Robinson might be tempted to make a few changes in attack after such a shot-shy display in Arbroath. Jonah Ayunga came off the bench on Saturday and could be a good shout to score if he starts here, although the bookies are unlikely to provide any prices again.
Experienced striker Martin Rennie got off the mark with a goal against Annan and his confidence will be up for the visit of Saints. The 31-year-old looks the most likely scorer for Forfar.
Probable line-ups
St Mirren midfielder O'Hara will sit this one out after his red card while Robinson could make a few changes to spark his side back into life. Weir should stick with the side that served him well away to Annan.
Forfar Athletic: Stafford, Scott, Morrison, Dolzanski, Lemon, Martin, Slater, Inglis, Mailer, Shepherd, Rennie
St Mirren: Urminsky, Gogic, Fraser, John, Iacovitti, Tanser, Smyth, Phillips, Idowu, Mandron, Ayunga.
Anything else catch the eye?
St Mirren let me down on Saturday but Forfar aren't as strong a team as Arbroath and I'd imagine the Buddies will put on a better performance here. Backing the Premiership side at -1 in the handicap pays 4/5 at BoyleSports while the same firm offer 20/23 on St Mirren to be winning at half-time and full-time.
The Buddies will want to kill this game off quickly so there could be some value in going for over 1.5 first-half goals at 13/10. With Forfar three leagues below St Mirren they might struggle to keep the score down so over 3.5 goals also looks good at 7/5.
GambleAware