Falkirk vs Ayr Predictions

• Falkirk have won eight of their last 12 Scottish Cup home ties
• Ayr United haven’t made it beyond the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup for 21 years
• Falkirk’s last six Scottish Cup matches have featured three or more goals

Buoyant Bairns eye upset

Falkirk ended Darvel’s Scottish Cup story in the fifth round, but the Bairns’ own adventure in this season’s competition may be far from over ahead of a winnable home tie against Ayr United.

Sixth-tier Darvel proved no match for Falkirk, who ran out 5-1 winners in Ayrshire, leaving them as the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.

That cup victory formed part of a 12-game unbeaten run, featuring 10 wins and two draws for John McGlynn’s men that came to an end with Tuesday’s loss to Dunfermline in a top-of-the-table showdown in League One.

Ayr could be left deflated

Falkirk will believe they can bounce back, particularly at home where they’ve won their last five matches as they eye a fourth semi-final berth in the last 15 years.

Opponents Ayr have only made it beyond the last-eight stage three times in their history, but possesses a potent weapon in 20-goal topscorer Dipo Akinyemi, who could cause Falkirk a few issues.

Akinyemi netted in Tuesday’s win over Morton but Ayr’s form before that success in the Scottish Championship had been patchy, losing three of their previous four games, and they are worth opposing in a high-scoring cup clash.