Dundee United will be confident of picking up a third consecutive Scottish league Cup victory this season, with a home match against League Two Cowdenbeath.
Scottish League Cup – Group C – Sunday 23rd July – 15:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 13/2 at Ladbrokes |
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Dundee United
CowdenbeathDundee United
Dundee United were unlucky not to reclaim their Scottish Premier League status last season, losing out in the Play-Off Final.
They reached the Quarter Final of this competition last season. They won two and had two penalty shoot-out victories in the group stage to finish behind Inverness CT on goal difference, advancing to the knockout phase as best runners-up.
That was followed by a 3-1 victory over Partick Thistle in the last-16, but Morton proved a step too far as they went out after a 2-1 defeat in the last-eight.
This season, they have started the competition in fine form. A 2-0 victory over Raith was followed by a 3-0 victory at Buckie Thistle, putting them top after their two games with six points and a goal difference of +5.
Cowdenbeath
The lowest placed team in the Scottish League last season, finishing bottom of League Two and only retaining their league status via the end-of-season play-offs.
They didn’t fare much better in this competition, finishing fourth of five in their group. A victory over Arbroath put three points on the board, but three defeats in their other three games meant they had no chance of advancing.
Cowdenbeath have only played once in this season’s competition, beating Buckie Thistle 4-2. That victory means they are currently second in the group behind Dundee United.
Head to Head
There have been three meetings between these sides since August 2008, with two in this competition and one a friendly.
Both competitive matches have been won by Dundee United, in convincing fashion. The first was a 5-1 away victory, and the most recent was a 6-1 demolition job in the group stage of last season’s competition.
In between those two matches, Cowdenbeath won 4-0 in a friendly match in 2011.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Dundee United are obviously the favourites for this match, and we cannot see any result other than a home win.
Ladbrokes have odds of 2/11 on Dundee United winning, Cowdenbeath are priced at 11/1, and the draw is 13/2.
With us feeling confident of a home victory, we have looked for value in the available markets.
Backing Dundee United in the Half Time/Full Time market provides a little more value, priced at 8/13. They have led at the break in both previous competitive meetings and will look to assert their superiority early in this match.
Dundee United have scored six first half goals in their previous two League Cup matches against Cowdenbeath, so it looks likely they will be leading at half-time having already scored at least a couple. Punters can get odds of 8/5 on Dundee United leading at Half Time and Over 1.5 first half goals.
It’s also priced at 3/1 for Over 2.5 first half goals, and 10/1 for Over 3.5 before the break.
There have been twelve goals scored in the two previous League Cup meetings, so it could pay to back a goal-fest in the Over/Under market.
Over 4.5 Goals in the 90 minutes is priced at odds of 9/4, Over 5.5 is 9/2, and Over 6.5 Goals is priced at 10/1.
Dundee United to Win and Over 3.5 Goals is one of our top picks at odds of 11/10.
The home side to win with a -2 handicap is priced at 6/5 and looks a solid alternative to the little value offered in the match result market.
Top Betting Tip
With us being 99.9% certain of a home win here, and looking for the most value on offer, our top betting tip is Dundee United to win in the handicap market (-2) at odds of 6/5 with Ladbrokes.