Arbroath and St Mirren will get their Scottish League Cup campaigns underway on Saturday as they clash in their opening match in Group D. 

These two sides last met in the group stage of this competition in 2023, when the Saints recorded a commanding 4-0 victory.

Match preview

Arbroath suffered a disappointing relegation from the Scottish Championship in 2023-24 as they placed bottom of the table with just 23 points, a significant 20 points adrift from safety. 

The Smokies managed to secure an instant return to the Scottish second division, however, as Arbroath lifted the League One table with a seven point lead over second-placed Cove Rangers. 

Colin Hamilton and David Gold are the player/co-managers that were responsible for leading the Smokies to the league title, and they will now be aiming to keep the side in the Championship in 2025-26. 

Despite lifting the league title, Arbroath ended the campaign on a disappointing note with two defeats and a draw - a poor run that has carried into pre-season, as they have recorded one loss and one draw, meaning they are winless in five matches heading into this one.

Hamilton and Gold will, therefore, be desperate for their side to end that winless run during the group stage of this competition and ahead of their Championship opener against Ayr United at the beginning of August. 

Arbroath may have to wait for that elusive victory though, as they are certainly the underdogs going into this meeting with Scottish Premiership St Mirren. 

The Saints have established themselves as a consistent top-half team in the Premiership in recent seasons, placing sixth in 2022-23, fifth in 2023-24 and sixth in 2024-25.

Stephen Robinson's side did have multiple inconsistent periods throughout the last campaign, but several strong runs ensured they secured sixth spot on the final day of the pre-split season - finishing narrowly one point above seventh-placed Hearts. 

St Mirren followed that with a superb post-split run, remaining unbeaten with two wins and three draws, and they have maintained that form in pre-season, recording three wins from three. 

Now looking to extend their undefeated streak to 10 games across all competition, Robinson will be looking for his side to start the 2025-26 campaign with a victory.

Arbroath form (all competitions):

W L L D L D

St Mirren form (all competitions):

W D D W W W

Team News

Arbroath have been extremely active in the summer transfer market with eight incomings already confirmed, and several of these could be in contention for their competitive debuts on Saturday. 

Ross Callachan and Findlay Marshall have both joined from Scottish Premiership sides and could start together in central midfield, while Nikolay Todorov could lead the line. 

As for St Mirren, Toyosi Olusanya was their top scorer in the league last season but has since left the club, meaning Mikael Mandron could lead the line.

Killian Phillips has re-joined the club on a permanent basis after last season's loan, and the midfielder is expected to partner Mark O'Hara on Saturday. 

Arbroath possible starting lineup:

McAdams; Muirhead, Steele, Watson, Wilkie; Callachan, Marshall; Stewart, Dow, Hickey-Fugaccia; Todorov

St Mirren possible starting lineup:

Urminsky; Fraser, Kenny, Iacovitti; Richardson, Phillips, O'Hara, Tanser; Idowu, Mandron, McMenamin

We say: Arbroath 1-4 St Mirren

Arbroath are without a win in their last five heading into this one, while St Mirren are unbeaten in their last nine, and given the visitors also possess a higher level of quality than their opponents, we expect a significant away win.

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

Written by
Ellis Stevens

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