CALEY THISTLE and Kilmarnock clash in the first of the Scottish Cup quarter-finals on Friday night with a place up for grabs at Hampden.
For Inverness, the Scottish Cup has been a welcome distraction from worrying financial matters and a disappointing Championship campaign.
The fact they are even here is remarkable given they were defeated by Queen's Park in an earlier round before being reinstated after the Championship leaders fielded an ineligible player.
But there was nothing fortuitous about their fantastic 3-0 win at high-flying Livingston at their Tony Macaroni Arena in the last round – a remarkable result given how many bigger teams struggle there.
For Derek McInnes' men, this is also a distraction from a three-way dogfight between them, Ross County and Dundee United at the bottom of the Premiership.
They narrowly saw off League Two leaders Dumbarton and won at Tannadice in the last round to get this far.
But there are two Killies – the Rugby Park version who have performed extremely well and turned the Ayrshire home into a fortress.
And then there is the Killie who have failed to win a league game away from home this season. Which Killie turns up could decide who goes through.
How the bookies view it
Killie have been well backed all week and are now around the evens mark although there is still some 11/10 with BetVictor available.
ICT can be backed at 14/5 with Boylesports and the dfaw is 12/5 with McBookie.com.
Recent head to heads
Killie have a dismal record at the Caledonian Stadium. They have not won in Inverness for the last 13 meetings and that would be a concern for Killie backers. You need to go back to 2010 for their last win there.
Players to watch
Veteran striker Billy McKay may be 34 now but he always has an eye for goal. The Northern Irish hitman has netted 14 goals so far this season and is 2/1 with William Hill to make it 15.
Danny Armstrong has been Kilmarnock's Player of the Season so far and he's scored some big goals for Killie. He has netted nine goals so far this season and is a big price with Paddy Power to score anytime at 4/1.
Anything else catch the eye?
Killie just cannot be trusted away from home, especially with their dreadful record in the Highlands. Caley Thistle are also a difficult team to get a handle on. They go from winning at Livingston to losing home and away to Hamilton. However, they are capable of raising their game and they are the call on the double chance at 4/5 with Boylesports.
ICT have been on the end of some high-scoring wins and defeats this season too and there should be goals here, with Killie capable of contributing. Go for over 3.5 goals at a big 27/10 with BetVictor.
This Scottish Cup match between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Kilmarnock will be played on Mar 10, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Inverness Caledonian Thistle vs Kilmarnock prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
