Dundee vs Ayr Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Dundee will continue their League Cup run when they host Ayr United to Dens Park this Saturday afternoon in the first knockout phase of the tournament. Can Dundee overcome their bad form?

Dundee haven’t started the Premiership season as they’d hoped. They currently sit second-bottom of the table after two initial defeats in the first games of the season and now face a somewhat easier run of games than before. Their opening fixture saw them take on St Mirren, who had just been promoted back to the Premiership after a few seasons in the Championship, but the outcome was a frustrating one because of their goalkeeper’s howler that ultimately lost them the match in the dying minutes of the match, and the following week saw them lose narrowly to Aberdeen as Derek McInnes side snatched all 3 points after Garay Mackay-Steven scored a 75^th minute penalty in an otherwise cagey game.

However, McCann’s performance in the League Cup has been extremely positive so far. The Dee finished 2^nd in their group, losing only once in all the group stage’s fixtures to leaders Dunfermline Athletic- who have been the surprise package of the season. Despite finishing behind them, Dundee still managed to secure a place in the second round due to goal difference, and McCann will hope to progress even further this season and hopefully better their quarter-final appearance from last season when they lost to Celtic.

McCann will also be hoping to prove that there’s nothing wrong with club now compared to a few weeks ago, as the manager stated that his players were not yet ready nor had gelled enough to start playing as well as he knows that they can, which is why this clash could be a good place to test out some new tactics and player combinations as he searches for the perfect blend for the remainder of the season- which has really only just started.

Beating Ayr United will also give the fans a good boost and some confidence will return to them after their disastrous start to the league campaign, and progression in the league cup would see them equal their performance from last year, and from that point forward they can only dream of going even further.

Unlike their opponents on Saturday, Ayr United have had a fantastic year. The Honest Men, as the club are known, finished first in League One after an intense season that saw them yo-yo from 1^st and 2^nd place throughout the whole campaign and that ended with a win over Albion Rovers on the last day of the season, guaranteeing them Championship football as league leaders Raith Rovers only managed to draw 0-0 against Alloa Athletic.

Thanks to their brilliant performance last season, the club are now pushing for the SPFL after their manager Ian McCall stated that the “lack of a giant” means that the Championship has no clear favourites, which is something that could work in their favour. It wouldn’t be the first time a Scottish club has gained back-to-back promotions, with Livingston currently embodying that idea when they were promoted at the end of last season to the Premiership. The club has done well in continuing their fine form from last year, and other than losing in their first pre-season friendly to Forfar Athletic the club has not known defeat. Their Championship campaign has gone well thus far, beating the recently relegated Partick Thistle 2-0 and then drawing 0-0 the following week with Inverness- a game that saw Ian McCall’s side reduced to 10 men after only half an hour of play.

Ayr have also done extremely well in keeping star-striker Lawrence Shankland at the club. The forward has been on absolute fire since arriving at the club from Aberdeen last September as a free agent, and within a year he has managed to score an impressive 38 goals in as many matches, 29 of which were scored last season alone. Craig Moore has also decided to remain at the club, after he too enjoyed an incredible season with Ayr, helping his side by scoring a total of 28 goals in all competitions. The retention of both players can be considered to completely new signings for the club, and Ayr fans will be confident that some damage can be done to Dundee this weekend.

It’s clear that, on paper, Dundee would be the better side, seeing as they’ve now established themselves as a top-flight club, ergo they’d beat Ayr with ease due to the latter having just been promoted to the club below. However, Dundee find themselves in quite a pickle, with two defeats from their initial two league games becoming a cause for concern amongst the Dee fans, and Neil McCann could resort to fielding a weaker team to get knocked out and thus allow the club to focus more on their league performances and evade a potential relegation battle. This, along with the fact that Ayr have a deadly duo at the front, is why I believe the Honest Men will progress to the next round. I’d back Both Teams to Score and Ayr United to win, simply because Dundee will play at home and they’re likely to score a goal. Lawrence Shankland has been on fire since last year, and has continued his form this season too, which is why I’ll back him to score in a 2-1 for his side.