Partick Thistle and Arbroath will meet on Tuesday in Scottish League Cup action as the second round begins with both teams hoping to progress in the competition.
They are at opposite ends of the league table right now, but with no pressure on them in that regard, form might not play as much of a factor in this one.
Match preview
Partick Thistle have had a strong start to their campaign so far, currently finding themselves in second place when it comes to the Scottish Championship league table.
From the opening five games the squad have managed three victories, a draw, and just one defeat, which should bring plenty of confidence into this game.
Their most recent outing came against Raith Rovers, where goals from Scott Tiffoney and Steven Lawless were able to secure a 2-1 win.
Repeating that feat is something that the squad would be more than happy with, not only because they would progress to the next round, but it would help mentally as they face Arbroath again in the league at the weekend.
Partick Thistle won all of their group games earlier in the competition, and have proven they are capable of getting results in this competition, much like their opponents.
The visitors also topped their group with a perfect winning record, which sets this particular fixture up to be a closely fought one.
Unlike the hosts, Arbroath have not been as strong in the league, with the club currently bottom of the division after failing to win a game so far.
Dick Campbell's men were beaten in their most recent outing against Hamilton by a goal to nil, in a game that also saw Thomas O'Brien sent off.
A big issue that Arbroath have been having is their attacking performances, with the squad having only scored three times so far this season in the league.
That is a situation that will have to be changed on Tuesday night if they want to progress further in the competition than they did last year, which saw them knocked out in the second round.
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Team News
Tunji Akinola made his way back into the starting lineup for Partick Thistle at the weekend, and that is something that could continue on Tuesday night.
At the other end of the field Brian Graham is likely to be leading the line for the hosts as a lone striker, as he continues to be the focal point of the attack.
Dario Zanatta is a new signing for Arbroath, providing a major boost to their attacking options, and he could be set to make his debut in this game.
The visitors will likely be without David Gold once again though due to a muscle strain which has been keeping him out of action.
Partick Thistle possible starting lineup:
Mitchell; McMillan, Akinola, Holt, Milne; Docherty, Bannigan; Lawless, McKinnon, Tiffoney; Graham
Arbroath possible starting lineup:
Gaston; Thomson, Little, Hamilton, O'Brien; Hancock, Jacobs, Allan, Stewart, McKenna; Zanatta
We say: Partick Thistle 2-0 Arbroath
Arbroath have been struggling to score goals so far this season, and that is a situation that could cause them so problems in a knockout game such as this.
Partick Thistle have been performing well throughout the start of this campaign, and that is something that should lead to them taking the victory here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
