Hamilton Academical vs Greenock Morton Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

Hamilton Academical really struggled to stay in the Scottish Premiership last season, eventually finishing in 10th position thanks to Kilmarnock’s inadequacies. They were five points clear of the dreaded relegation playoff position in the end but the future looks a bit bleak for them.

They have one of the smallest budgets in the Scottish Premiership and it has shown this summer, with a number of key players such as Ziggy Gordon, Michael McGovern, and Lucas Tagliapietra leaving and not much quality coming in to replace their lost talents. The aim of this season will be simply to survive.

They did manage to get off the mark at the first time of asking last weekend when they earned a draw away to the returning Rangers. Their Scottish League Cup campaign went fairly well too, with them topping their group with nine points from their four games.

They did suffer a defeat against Ayr United in the first game though, meaning they needed to rely on goal difference to top the table ahead of Ayr United. The Hamilton Academical fans won’t be getting too excited though as  it was a fairly easy group to be drawn in and three games against lower league opposition isn’t really representative of the rest of the season.

Greenock Morton’s Scottish League Cup group was a much more exciting affair, with the Scottish Championship side outdoing Albion Rovers, the disappointing Kilmarnock, Clyde, and Berwick Rangers to top their group with 11 points from a possible 12.

It was a lesson in defensive stability from the second tier side as they beat Albion Rovers on penalties after a goalless draw before beating the remainder of the teams without conceding a goal. They followed this with a 1-1 draw in the opening game of their Scottish Championship campaign.

Greenock Morton will be setting up defensively for this match, and they have proven how effective that can be already this season. They have conceded just one goal in their last five matches, which includes a game away to Premiership opposition. Hamilton Academical aren’t the greatest side going forward either, and they have already lost to the likes of Ayr United this season.

Hamilton Academical’s general lack of confidence and quality could well be a deciding factor in this match, and it gives Greenock Morton a great chance in my eyes. I think they can pull off a shock again, so I’m backing a Greenock Morton Win or Draw Double Chance at 7/5 along with a 1-0 correct score prediction at a huge 16/1.