Spartansvs.Ross County

Three divisions separate the two sides, with the hosts looking to cause a major upset on home soil if they are to progress.

Match preview

Spartans come into this game having picked up four points from their opening two league games, with a 2-2 draw away to Stranraer being followed up by a 2-0 home victory over Bonnyrigg Rose last Saturday.

Striker Blair Henderson scored both goals in their 2-0 win, his brace adding to the double scored by centre-back Paul Watson in the opening-day draw at Stranraer.

Manager Douglas Samuel comes into this season continuing his run as the longest-serving manager in Scotland, having been with the club since 2012 and guided them to promotion into Scottish League Two in 2023.

In their maiden season in the fourth tier, Spartans managed an exceptional third-place finish, ending up with 58 points before losing out to Dumbarton in the Scottish League One playoff final 4-3 on aggregate.

In terms of their cup form in the new season, Spartans topped a group stage which included Scottish Championship sides Livingston and Dunfermline Athletic, but the visit of Ross County is certainly another step up.

For Ross County, they have made a somewhat slow start to their league campaign with two draws from two games, the most recent being 1-1 at home to Dundee United last Saturday.

It took a last-gasp Ronan Hale goal to avoid defeat in their first home league game, although the Staggies were profligate as they missed numerous chances which included a first-half penalty.

Their wastefulness in front of goal could be attributed to selling Simon Murray to Dundee; the Scottish forward netted an impressive 23 times in 46 appearances last season for the Staggies and they will need to replace his goals if this wastefulness continues.

In last season's domestic cup competitions, Ross County were eliminated by Aberdeen in the quarter-finals of the League Cup and by Championship side Partick Thistle in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

With the likes of Rangers and Aberdeen looming in the calendar, this cup fixture also represents a chance for Ross County to build some momentum heading into those games before the close of August.

Spartans Scottish League Cup form:

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W

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Spartans form (all competitions):

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W

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D

W

Ross County Scottish League Cup form:

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Ross County form (all competitions):

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W

D

D

Team News

Spartans do not have a deep squad to choose from here, so their lineup will likely be the same as the one from their recent game against Bonnyrigg Rose, with just a few positions up for grabs for the likes of Brogan Walls and Archie Wylie.

Rory Whittaker could however be in contention to make his first start for Spartans, with the right-back recently joining on loan from Hibernian for the season.

Ross County have a clean bill of health heading into this cup tie, and long-term absentee Scott Allardice (knee) is back to fitness following five months on the sideline.

Summer signings Ricki Lamie and Charlie Telfer could push for a start here if Don Cowie opts to rotate, but it would be a surprise if the manager deviated away from the side he picked last time out.

Spartans possible starting lineup:

Carswell; Whittaker, Sonkur, Watson, Booth; Hunter, Craigen, Whyte; Denholm, Russell, Henderson

Ross County possible starting lineup:

Laidlaw; Efete, Wright, Nightingale, Harmon; Denholm, Randall, Allardice, Grieves; Brophy, Hale

We say: Spartans 0-2 Ross County

While Ross County have been wasteful in front of goal at the start of the season, the gulf in quality between the two sides should be too much for Spartans.

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