Motherwell and Greenock Morton will face off in a pivotal clash at the top of Scottish League Cup Group G on Tuesday night.
The two sides are currently separated by just two points and two places at the summit of the section.
After getting their campaign underway with a shock 2-2 draw away at Scottish League Two outfit Clyde, Motherwell have bounced back with a pair of narrow wins over Peterhead and Stenhousemuir respectively.
As such, a third win in succession would be enough to ensure that the Steelmen safely secure their passage to the knockout round.
However, Morton will pitch up at Fir Park boasting a 100% record in Group G, having also defeated both Peterhead and Stenhousemuir.
In fact, a Ton triumph on Tuesday night would catapult Dougie Imrie's men to the top of the group ahead of their final fixture with Clyde on Saturday.
How the bookies view it: Motherwell to march on
As the top seeds in Group G, it’s understandable to see Motherwell head into this match as odds-on 8/13 favourites with Bet 365, though that price holds little appeal.
Morton come in this crunch clash as 4/1 underdogs on Bet 365 while the 90 minute draw is an unfancied 13/5 with the same firm.
Head to head: Ton could make life tough
While Motherwell have won eight of the overall 10 meetings between the pair over the last two decades or so, they have failed to defeat Morton in regulation time in each of the last three encounters, including a 2-1 Scottish Cup defeat at Cappielow last year. That makes the visitors worthy of consideration with a +0.75 Asian Handicap start here at even-money (1/1) on Bet 365.
Players to watch: Lukas worth a look?
Lukas Fadinger impressed during Motherwell’s 2-1 win over Peterhead last midweek, scoring one goal and setting up another. Thus, the Australian attacking midfielder could merit anytime goalscorer consideration should the bookmakers’ make odds available.
Tomi Adeloye was Morton’s two-goal hero during last week's 3-0 success against Stenhousemuir. The powerful forward should pose Motherwell’s backline a few problems on Tuesday night.
Predicted line-ups
Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou has been rotating his resources during the group stages of this season’s Scottish League Cup, so he could take a similar approach on Tuesday night, though he could again be without injured midfielder Lennon Miller.
James Storer is expected to remain between the sticks for Morton after keeping a clean sheet on his debut for the club last time out.
Motherwell: Ward; McGinn, O'Donnell, Koutroumbis, Longelo; Slattery, Watt, Haliday; Fadinger; Just, Sule
Morton: Storer; Gillespie, Moore, Longridge, Delaney; Wilson, Blues, Moffat, Crawford, Shaw; Adeloye
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing both teams to get on the scoresheet holds plenty of appeal on Tuesday night at 4/5 on Bet 365.
This bet would have paid out in Motherwell’s Group G games with both Clyde and Peterhead, and latest opponents Morton will represent a step up in class.
Over 2.5 goals has landed in four of the pair’s combined five matches so far, making a repeat here another value option to consider at 4/5 (Bet 365).
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