The third round of the Scottish League Cup goes ahead this week, with a place in the quarter-finals on October 28/29 at stake.
Holders Aberdeen are at home to Livingston, there are derby matches in Lanarkshire and Dundee, and Celtic’s meeting with Hearts is live on BBC Scotland on Wednesday, kick-off 7.15pm.
Aberdeen v Livingston – Tuesday, 7.45pm
Referee: Andrew Dallas
Holders Aberdeen begin their defence of the trophy they won against Inverness Caley Thistle in March. John McGlynn’s Livingston have already knocked out Albion Rovers, on penalties, and Queen of the South, but were beaten 1-0 by Raith Rovers on Saturday. This is the second of four home games in a row for the Dons – they won the first 3-0 against Ross County. The sides haven’t met since March 2006, when Aberdeen won 3-0 at Pittodrie.
Falkirk v Rangers – Tuesday, 7.45pm
Referee: Alan Muir
Rangers won 2-0 at the Falkirk Stadium when the sides met on Championship business last month and it was also 2-0 to Ally McCoist’s men in last season’s Scottish Cup – but in both games it required late goals to decide the outcome. Peter Houston’s men won 3-1 at Montrose in round one then edged past Cowdenbeath on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Rangers have accounted for Queen’s Park (2-1) and Inverness Caley Thistle (1-0). The Ibrox side were held 1-1 at Alloa on Saturday while Falkirk also drew 1-1, at home to Dumbarton.
Kilmarnock v St Johnstone – Tuesday, 7.45pm
Referee: Steven McLean
Kilmarnock got the better of local rivals Ayr United thanks to a Rory McKenzie goal in front of a big Rugby Park crowd in round two and now face a St Johnstone team who are playing their first match in the competition. Killie go into the game on the back of a 0-0 draw at Hamilton Accies while St Johnstone went down 2-1 at Inverness CT. Saints won 2-1 at Rugby Park in April and are unbeaten in their last 11 meetings with Kilmarnock.
Ross County v Hibernian – Tuesday, 7.45pm
Referee: Stephen Finnie
Ross County beat Stranraer 2-1 at Stair Park in round two while Hibernian survived a major scare before recovering to edge out Dumbarton 3-2 at Easter Road. The Staggies, who recently appointed Jim McIntyre as their new manager, have lost all seven games in the Premiership this season. Hibs have made a slow start in the Championship and went down 1-0 at Queen of the South on Saturday. The Edinburgh club twice won in Dingwall last season but County won the third meeting 1-0 in May.
Partick Thistle v St Mirren – Tuesday, 7.45pm
Referee: Calum Murray
The sides meet at Firhill for the second time in five days after St Mirren came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory in Friday’s Premiership fixture. Partick Thistle won 1-0 at Morton in the second round and Saints also saw off League 1 opposition, beating Dunfermline 2-1 in Paisley. Last season’s four meetings produced a win apiece and two draws.
Celtic v Hearts – Wednesday, 7.15pm (Live on BBC Scotland)
Referee: Willie Collum
Celtic take on a Hearts team who beat Stenhousemuir 2-1 at Ochilview in the previous round and who are three points clear in the Championship after thrashing Cowdenbeath 5-1 at Tynecastle. Ronny Deila’s team, meanwhile, go into the match on the back of a 1-1 home draw with Motherwell on Sunday, having drawn 2-2 in Salzburg in the Europa League last Thursday. Hearts knocked Celtic out of the League Cup with a 1-0 win in Glasgow in 2009/10 but the Parkhead club have won the last eight meetings between the teams.
Dundee United v Dundee – Wednesday, 7.45pm
Referee: Craig Thomson
United took the honours in Sunday’s Premiership clash, winning 4-1 at Dens Park to move to the top of the table on goals scored. Dundee were previously unbeaten and saw off Raith Rovers 4-0 in the second round of the League Cup. The last meeting between the teams in this competition was in 1996/97 when Dundee won on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Tannadice. Dundee’ s most recent derby victory was 1-0 at Dens Park in November 2004.
Hamilton Accies v Motherwell – Wednesday, 7.45pm
Referee: Craig Charleston
It’s part one of a double header for the Lanarkshire rivals, who meet again in a Premiership match at Fir Park on Saturday. Alex Neil’s men beat Alloa 4-1 at New Douglas Park in round two while Motherwell enter the competition at this stage. Hamilton drew 0-0 against Kilmarnock at the weekend while Stuart McCall’s team held Celtic 1-1 at Parkhead. The most recent Lanarkshire derby was at Fir Park in February 2011, when Motherwell won 1-0.
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