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Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Scottish League Cup clash between Arbroath and Annan Athletic, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

The bottom two teams in Group D in the Scottish League Cup will meet on Tuesday night when Arbroath host Annan Athletic.

The hosts are fourth in the table with two points from two games, while the visitors are fifth in the standings with one point from their three outings. 

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Match preview

Abroath suffered relegation from the Scottish Championship in 2023-24 as they finished rock bottom of the table with just 23 points, but the Smokies booked their immediate return last term. 

Arbroath lifted the Scottish League One trophy last season as they placed top of the standings with 64 points from 36 fixtures, seven points above second-placed Cove Rangers. 

Now preparing for a Championship campaign where they will be aiming to avoid another relegation, Arbroath would have been hoping for a strong Scottish League Cup group stage to provide a foundation to build upon. 

Arbroath started positively as they drew 0-0 with Scottish Premiership St Mirren, going on to win 5-3 on penalties, but a dismal 4-0 loss to Ayr United followed, meaning they have two points from their two outings.

Now looking to bounce back, Arbroath come up against bottom of the Group D standings Annan Athletic, who have just one point from three matches. 

Black and Golds were relegated from Scottish League One last term after finishing ninth with 36 points from 36 games, going on to lose 4-3 on aggregate in the playoff final. 

Wullie Gibson, in charge since May 2024, would have been hoping for his side to bounce back from their relegation with a positive start to the new campaign. 

However, Annan Athletic are bottom of the group table after three matches with just one point, having drawn their opening match with Forfar before losing 4-2 on penalties, followed by 6-1 and 8-2 losses to Ayr United and St Mirren respectively. 

While they will be keen to avoid another humiliating defeat, Annan have struggled in recent meetings with Arbroath, with three losses in their last four meetings, though they did win 5-1 in their latest encounter.

Arbroath Scottish League Cup form:

Arbroath form (all competitions):

Annan Athletic Scottish League Cup form:

Annan Athletic form (all competitions):

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Team News

Arbroath are yet to score during open play in the Scottish League Cup so far this term, meaning a number of changes could be made in attack. 

Gavin Reilly, last season's joint-top scorer, could come into the starting team for Nikolay Todorov, while Findlay Marshall is likely to keep his place in attacking midfield. 

As for Annan Athletic, following back-to-back significant defeats to Ayr United and St Mirren, several changes could be made to the starting team. 

Jack Allan, Daniel Carmichael and Charlie Maxwell all came off the bench last time out, and all three could start in this one.

Arbroath possible starting lineup:

McAdams; Watson, Muirhead, O'Brien, Wilkie; Stewart, Pettifer, Cochrane, Dow; Marshall; Reilly

Annan Athletic possible starting lineup:

Clarke; Muir, Todd, Gilmour, Deveney; Todd, Smith, McGowan, Carmichael; Allan, Smith

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We say: Arbroath 2-0 Annan Athletic

 

Despite Arbroath struggling for goals so far, Annan Athletic have conceded a massive 14 goals in their last two games, and we believe the hosts will capitalise on their defensive vulnerabilities to secure a strong win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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