Queens Park vs Ayr United
5 August 1945hrs
Football – Scotland – Championship
Pick Queens Park
Bookmaker William Hill
Odds: 5/4 odds taken 2000 GMT, Monday 1 August
The Scottish Premiership plays host to the Eredivisie on Thursday, as Dundee United face AZ in the first leg of the third qualification round for this year’s Europa Conference League.
Table of Contents
Queens Park Preview – Will Coyle lead Queens Park to a maiden victory at this level?
Excitement was building in anticipation for Queen’s Park first match at this level and it could barely have gotten off to a better start as Jake Davidson’s goal in the opening stages had Owen Coyle and his players dreaming off the perfecting opening day. As it was, the Spiders had to make do with a point but it is still a very good result considering they were up against the team who got to the promotion playoff final and are fancied to go well again.
Queens Park had a decent League Cup campaign as well, taking seven points from their four games and eventually finishing third.
Ayr United Preview – Can Ayr United register their first win of the new season?
Narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Ayr will be hoping to have a more productive campaign. Lee Bullen came in back in January and his arrival had an instant impact, with United winning three, drawing three and losing only one of his first seven games in charge. It was that run, coupled with losing only one of their last seven games which kept them up. Albeit they drew five of those matches making it closer than they would have liked.
As ever with a club at this level with limited resources, there has been a significant turnover of players at Somerset in the close season and it remains to be seen how the new players adapt.
Don’t miss out on other Betting Tips & Predictions
Click here for more Betting Tips
A poor League Cup campaign didn’t instil that much hope for Ayr’s supporters and with Arbroath – who narrowly missed out on winning the title last season – first up at home, the signs were ominous. As it was, the games ended goalless but Ayr were probably frustrated not to win considering their opponents played much of the second half with 10 men.
The challenge for Bullen and his players now is to back that performance up by getting another positive result here.
Queens Park vs Ayr United Betting Advice
You have to go back to 2018 for the last time these teams met. That that was in the Challenge Cup – a competition for lower league clubs in Scotland. Queens Park won on penalties on that occasion and the two clubs will be much more familiar with each other considering this will be the first of at least four meetings this season.
With Queens Park’s new stadium still under construction, this game will be played at Ochilview – home of Stenhousemuir.
Key Facts – Queens Park vs Ayr United Betting Tip
- Queens Park marked their first Championship match with a credible 1-1 draw away to Inverness
- Ayr also shared the spoils on the opening day, drawing 0-0 with last season’s runners up Arbroath
- The teams last met in the Challenge Cup back in 2018 – match which Queens Park won penalties
Ayr were very workmanlike in their opening day draw but they still look like goals will be hard to come by. With Queens Park having the edge in the attacking third, and with home advantage, back them to get a maiden Championship win.
Best Betting Odds for Queens Park vs Ayr United