Cove Rangers vs Hearts Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Cove Rangers kicked off their League Cup campaign on Saturday, going down 2-0 to Inverness. Now the non-league side host Hearts, their first big home League Cup clash since they were invited to join the group stage round during the competition’s re-brand in 2016. They welcome the side who finished sixth in the top flight last term, a side who are hoping to push for a European place this time around. Will the Jambos be able to kick off their new campaign with a victory, or are we about to see a major shock victory?

The visitors sat out at the weekend, as they took on Forfar in a friendly. They saw two clear victories in this group, while they were busy in non-competitive action. Cove Rangers started with a 2-0 loss at Inverness, while Cowdenbeath were 2-0 victors over Raith Rovers. Can Hearts stake a claim to top the group with a big victory over the non-league hosts?

The bookies clearly expect a comfortable win for the hosts, with Hearts heavy favourites going in to this clash. Cove Rangers have lost four of their last five matches, and we’re backing that run to continue. They come in to this encounter with Hearts on the back of a better display against Inverness. They went to the Championship side and lost 2-0, but they managed to hold on for the most part. Ahead of a huge game at home to Premiership opposition, they’ll be out to avoid any big defeat.

We expect Cove Rangers to do better than the bookies suggest, as they’re meeting a Hearts side who aren’t exactly high scorers. Last season in the league they saw few goals on the road, averaging just 0.8 per game. They did boast one of the league’s best defensive records, which should see them hold off a Cove Rangers outfit who have lost to nil in three of their last four games in this competition.

We expect Hearts to struggle for goals on Wednesday, especially after losing out on a place in the second round of this competition last term. They scored once in away trips to Elgin and Peterhead in the group stage last term, and we don’t see them racking up a big score here. The Jambos saw under 3.5 goals in 87% of their league games last season, and in 90% of their away trips. We’re backing a Hearts win with fewer than four goals scored, while we see another 2-0 scoreline in this group.