ABERDEEN will look to go one better this season and end their 11-year wait for a trophy. Whilst Palmerston Park can be a tough venue to visit, Aberdeen should have too much quality for a side two divisions below them.
Aberdeen finished runners-up in the Scottish League Cup for the 10th time last season, as a typical James Tavernier strike in the final quarter of an hour was enough to seal Rangers the cup.
The Dons were also unlucky in the Scottish Cup last term, as they lost on penalties to eventual champions Celtic in the semi-final, after a thrilling 3-3 draw.
However, Aberdeen had a massively disappointing league campaign, finishing in the bottom-half, and the Dons faithful will be hoping new manager Jimmy Thelin will hit the ground running.
Similarly to their Premiership opponents, Queen of the South had a massively disappointing season, as they finished as low as 7th position in League One, just two points above the relegation playoff spot.
Unsurprisingly, manager Marvin Bartley was sacked, with Ex-Annan Athletic boss Peter Murphy taking over the reigns this season.
How the bookies view it: The Dons Expected to Deliver Routine Win
Aberdeen have been installed as short-priced favourites here, with an away success priced at just 3/10 by Betfred. A surprise victory for The Doonhamers is priced at 7/1, while Betfred is also offering odds of 15/4 for a stalemate in 90 minutes.
Head to head: Dons slightly on top
Aberdeen have knocked out QOTS in the 2011/12 and 2018/19 editions of the Scottish Cup, but The Doonhamers famously defeated The Dons 4-3 in the 2007/08 Scottish Cup semi-final before that.
Players to watch: Sokler to Strike Again
Ester Sokler played second fiddle to star striker Bojan Mijovski last campaign, mainly making appearances from the bench. However, The Slovenian scored two in the friendly win at Peterhead in midweek and could be the best option to find the target on Saturday.
Ex-Rangers kid Kai Kennedy signed from York City permanently in the summer. The Winger could be worth a punt to score anytime for the Doonhamers on Saturday.
Probable line-ups
As is always the case, line-ups are tough to predict at the start of the campaign. The Dons changed their entire starting 11 for the second-half of their 4-0 friendly win over Peterhead and may start with the same team that started the match.
Its even harder to predict starting 11’s for lower-league sides at the start of the season with so many new signings and trialists. Queen of the South may start with a similar side that started their friendly loss against Stirling last weekend.
Queen of the South: Stewart, Cochrane, MacIntyre, Lyon, Douglas, Rogerson, Doherty, Luissint, McIntosh, Kennedy, Dickenson
Aberdeen: Mitov, Devlin, Rubezic, Molloy, McGarry, Morris, Shinnie, Clarkson, Besuijen, McGrath, Sokler
Anything else catch the eye?
Aberdeen comfortably dispatched of League Two side Peterhead 4-0 in a friendly during the week, whilst Queen of the South fell to a 0-1 defeat against a side that has just been relegated to the Scottish fourth tier, Stirling Albion.
The Dons are priced up at 19/20 to overcome a -1 handicap, whilst an Aberdeen win and Over 2.5 Goals is valued at 5/6.
If you fancy there to be at least three goals, there’s a good chance Aberdeen will cover the Over 2.5 Goals barrier themselves, and that is priced up at 5/4, all selections priced at Betfred.
This Scottish League Cup match between Queen of the South and Aberdeen will be played on Jul 13, 2024 and kick off at 17:15. Check below for our tipsters best Queen of the South vs Aberdeen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
