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Kilmarnock vs Queen’s Park
8 October 1945hrs
Football – Scotland – Challenge Cup
Pick Under 2.5 goals
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 43/40 odds taken 2000 GMT, Wednesday 6 October
Kilmarnock are favourites for this competition but like in the Championship they won’t have it their own way against a Queen’s Park team flying in League One.
Table of Contents
Kilmarnock Preview – Are Killie set to bounce back to form in cup following disappointment in league?
Tommy Wright would not have been under any illusions of how difficult life would be for Kilmarnock when dropping out the Premiership following their relegation last season. And he’s certainly not been disappointed as Killie come into this game on the back of two games where they have taken just a point. Saturday’s defeat to Raith Rovers followed a goalless draw away to Arbroath the week before and leaves the pre-season favourites trailing Inverness at the top of the table.
It was never likely that Killie would run away with the league following such a significant turnover in players during the summer but it’s looking as though they are going to be one of four teams in a battle for the promotion and will have to bounce back when league action resumes next week.
Kilmarnock’s first involvement in this competition was a 3-1 win over Falkirk last month. It’s a good marker for their game against Queens Park considering there are only three points between the two teams in League One. Fraser Murray was the hero on that occasion scoring two goals.
Killie have played seven games at Rugby Park so far this season winning four of them and somewhat surprisingly have kept clean sheets in just two of them. That’s in contrast to keeping four clean sheets in six away games.
Queen’s Park Preview – Could League One leaders cause an upset and make it to the semi-final?
Queens Park have had significant investment over the last couple of seasons and are reaping the rewards. Promotion to third tier of Scottish football for this season has seen them progress again and they currently sit top of League One. Like their next opponents it’s expected to be a really competitive battle for promotion with three points between the top five clubs.
Laurie Ellis – in his first head coaching role – is yet to taste defeat in league action with his team winning four and drawing five. They’ve got the best defensive record in the league conceding seven but goals have been hard to come by on their travels with just five scored in four games.
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Queens Park have required penalties to see off Bonnyrigg Rose and Airdrie to get to this stage and will know they face an even bigger challenge on Friday. They last reached the quarter-finals in 2018 eventually losing to Welsh team Connah’s Quay who reached the final.
Simon Murray is the man for goals in this Queens Park squad. He’s scored five for the season with four of them in the league. He’s looking to end a run of five games without scoring in this one, though
Kilmarnock vs Queen’s Park Betting Advice
Both of these teams will see promotion from their respective leagues as the main objective for the season but with this game putting them to within a game of a final, then it’s a competition they are going to take serious.
Queen’s Park could not have gotten a more difficult draw but they are not used to defeat and will prove to be stubborn opposition. Their only loss of the season came in the group stages of the League Cup when going down 1-0 at home to Motherwell.
Key Facts – Kilmarnock vs Queen’s Park Betting Tip
- Kilmarnock are looking to bounce back from a disappointing result in the league last weekend
- Queens Park have reached this stage following two penalties shootout wins in previous rounds
- The teams last met in the 2018 Scottish Cup when Killie were victorious 2-0
Everything points to this game being a low-scoring affair. Five of Queen’s Park seven away games have went under 2.5 goals whilst eight of Killie’s last 10 matches have went the same way. Back under 2.5 goals in this one.
Best Betting Odds for Kilmarnock vs Queen’s Park
