Tight Fir Park tie, Tait goals & Thelin chance

It is mid-September, truthful it must beryllium Scottish League Cup quarter-final time, but if you are looking for shocks, you mightiness beryllium disappointed this time.

The tie for what is presently called nan Premier Sports Cup was benignant connected nan Premiership's 3 shape teams - handing Aberdeen, Celtic and Rangers location ties - and harsh connected little convention survivors Falkirk and Spartans.

Here are immoderate of nan things to look retired for successful 4 ties dispersed complete 3 days.

The 1 all-Premiership necktie - and astir apt nan slightest predictable - takes Dundee United to Motherwell connected Friday evening successful a gathering of 2 clubs looking to extremity a decades-long League Cup drought.

United person not lifted nan League Cup since beating metropolis rivals Dundee successful nan 1980 final, while Motherwell's hold is moreover longer, having past won nan trophy backmost successful 1950, erstwhile they defeated Hibernian.

Indeed, neither broadside person gone beyond nan quarter-finals since they past progressed to nan final.

Motherwell defeated Aberdeen 3-0 7 years ago, earlier knocking retired Rangers successful nan semi-finals and falling short successful their bid for an Old Firm double against Celtic.

Two years earlier, United hit Hibernian connected penalties aft a 3-3 draw, overcame Aberdeen successful nan past 4 but besides mislaid to Celtic successful nan final.

Celtic were besides Well's nemesis erstwhile nan Lanarkshire broadside and United past reached nan quarter-finals 2 years ago, nan Glasgow visitors easing to a 4-0 triumph while nan Tangerines were losing 2-1 successful Kilmarnock.

The existent sides spell into Friday's quarter-final looking to retrieve from top-flight defeats that ended three-game winning runs.

Stuart Kettlewell's hosts fell 2-1 distant to Aberdeen, while Jim Goodwin's United had their awesome eight-game unbeaten series brought to an extremity by Rangers' single-goal triumph astatine Tannadice.

Recent meetings are besides nary guideline to Friday's result considering United person spent a play winning nan Championship since losing 3-2 astatine Fir Park successful their past gathering - pinch United having won location a period previously.

Their knock-out meetings thin to beryllium tight affairs too, pinch United winning 2-1 astatine Fir Park successful nan Scottish Cup 4th information successful November 2014, while Alan Gow's extremity was capable to return hosts Motherwell done to nan League Cup semi-finals successful October 2010.

Another adjacent crippled is successful imaginable nether nan Fir Park lights.

There were precocious hopes for Dylan Tait erstwhile Hibs bought nan midfielder, past aged 19, earlier loaning him backmost to Raith Rovers successful August 2021.

But he would only make 1 quality for nan Premiership nine and, aft further loans to Kilmarnock, Arbroath, Hamilton Academical and Falkirk, he joined nan second connected a imperishable transportation this summertime aft helping them triumph League 1 and promotion.

Tait's top-flight dream having been dashed for now, he has eked retired revenge connected 2 Premiership sides already this season.

He scored successful 2-0 group-stage conclusion of Dundee United and again arsenic Falkirk knocked retired Heart of Midlothian successful nan past 16.

His 4 goals successful 11 games this word are already 1 much than he has achieved successful immoderate afloat play and a repetition capacity connected Sunday would raise his floor plan further.

However, nan chances of a 3rd Premiership scalp successful a statement are reduced by being drawn distant to Scottish champions who lead nan top-flight again aft 5 consecutive wins and who are caller from thrashing Slovan Bratislava 5-1 successful nan Champions League connected Wednesday.

Indeed, Falkirk person not beaten Celtic successful 12 meetings since a 1-0 location convention triumph successful 2007, losing their latest League Cup gathering 3-1 successful nan 2012 semi-final past 3-0 successful nan Scottish Cup 3rd information 3 years ago.

However, nan Bairns won - connected penalties aft a 1-1 tie - nan past clip nan sides met astatine this shape successful nan League Cup, successful November 2006.

Apart from losing a punishment shootout derby distant to Stenhousemuir successful nan SPFL Trust Trophy, Tait and Falkirk person won 8 of their past 9 outings, lead nan Championship and will recreation to Glasgow wished for a repetition - and to beryllium their Premiership credentials.

It would beryllium 1 of nan biggest shocks successful Scottish League Cup history if Aberdeen were not to widen their 10-game winning tally since Jimmy Thelin took complaint astatine nan commencement of nan season.

People will constituent to nan very aforesaid Dons' dismal Scottish Cup exit astatine nan hands of Darvel - a broadside from Scotland sixth tier - successful early 2023.

And, yes, Spartans are 2 tiers higher and person already accounted for 1 Premiership broadside this season, arsenic good arsenic a Livingston squad who were successful nan apical section past season, to unafraid a first ever nationalist cup quarter-final.

But this is simply a different Aberdeen, this clip nan minnows are having to recreation to Pittodrie and part-time Spartans person only won erstwhile successful 5 outings since knocking retired Ross County.

Peter Leven steadied nan Dons vessel successful his 2nd spell arsenic caretaker past play aft Neil Warnock's ill-fated short spell successful charge, but Thelin has transformed their fortunes since.

It has Reds fans dreaming of going 1 amended than past year's 1-0 conclusion by Rangers successful nan last and lifting nan trophy for nan first clip since edging Inverness Caledonian Thistle connected penalties successful 2014.

The 46-year-old Swede has himself only truthful acold notched 1 trophy occurrence - starring Jonkopings Sodra to nan second-tier Superettan title a twelvemonth later earlier finishing runner-up successful nan apical formation doubly pinch Elfsborg.

While his rebuilt existent broadside are only being kept disconnected nan apical of nan Premiership by Celtic connected extremity difference, Thelin has warned supporters not to get "carried away" by thoughts of winning nan convention title and will realise nan cup is ever nan champion chance for non-Old Firm clubs to triumph silverware.