Falkirk have enjoyed three seasons of unwavering success but they have started 2026/27 poorly and have already been knocked out of the Scottish League Cup ahead of their final Group G match against Stranraer at Falkirk Stadium on Saturday.
Under the stewardship of John McGlynn, Falkirk won back-to-back promotions before finishing a credible sixth in the Scottish Premiership last season - their first campaign back in the top flight since 2010.
However, despite opening with a 5-0 thrashing of Edinburgh City in the Scottish League Cup, the Bairns have followed that up with a 1-0 home defeat to group winners Ayr United and a penalty shootout loss at League One Alloa Athletic.
Falkirk can't even make it through as one of the three best-placed group runners-up, while the same is true for fourth-tier Stranraer, who have at least delivered some competitive displays against teams higher up the pyramid.
Falkirk v Stranraer Tips Summary
Best Bet - Falkirk -2 @ 21/20
Alternative Bet - Both teams to score - No @ 7/10
Bet Builder - Falkirk to win to nil, Most goals in second half & Over 2 Falkirk goals @ 9/2
Falkirk v Stranraer Prediction
Best Bet: Falkirk -2 @ 21/20
After such a successful period, it was always going to be tough for Falkirk to keep hold of their best players and this summer Barney Stewart, Calvin Miller and Dylan Tait are among the key members of the squad who have departed for pastures new.
McGlynn has set about rebuilding but these things take time and Falkirk have been caught cold in the League Cup, losing in 90 minutes to Ayr and on penalties against Alloa.
The Bairns did record a notable 5-0 victory over Edinburgh in their Group G opener and even with little to play for in terms of qualification, they will expect to see off another fourth-tier opponent in Stranraer comfortably.
The Blues finished fifth in Scottish League Two last season, missing out on the play-offs by three points, and although they emerged with credit from their opening two group games - twice leading against Ayr before losing 3-2 and then being edged out by apparent penalty kings Alloa in a shootout - they were most recently well beaten by Edinburgh on Tuesday night.
Thoughts for both these sides will be turning to their respective league campaigns that get underway next weekend, but after McGlynn called on his side to show more hunger and bravery after Tuesday's shootout defeat to Alloa, Falkirk may have greater incentive to produce a performance.
If the Bairns are switched on, they should have the tools to win this one comfortably and build some momentum ahead of their Premiership opener at home to St Mirren on Saturday 1st August.
Alternative Bet: Both teams to score - No @ 7/10
Stranraer were not exactly the entertainers of League Two last season, as although they only conceded the same amount as champions East Kilbride, their tally of 46 goals scored was only better than Edinburgh, who finished bottom.
Edinburgh have since beaten Chris Aitken's side to nil this group stage and it is worth noting that Stranraer only scored more than once in one of their final six matches of 2025/26, a run that includes suffering defeats without scoring against Annan Athletic and Forfar Athletic.
Against a top-flight defence in Falkirk, Stranraer are unlikely to carve out many opportunities, so it is worth siding with at least one of these sides - most likely the visitors - drawing a blank.
Stranraer have failed to score in three of their last four meetings with Falkirk, including on their two most recent visits to Falkirk Stadium.
Falkirk v Stranraer Bet Builder
- Falkirk to win to nil
- Most goals in second half
- Over 2 Falkirk goals
Pays 9/2
Falkirk have already beaten one fourth-tier side to nil in this season's League Cup and they can repeat the feat against a Stranraer outfit that lack a cutting edge against teams at their own level, never mind when facing one from three divisions above.
That does not mean Falkirk will blow their opponents away early, as the Bairns were notorious for being slow starters in last season's Premiership.
In the 2025/26 half-time table, McGlynn's men were only being kept off the bottom by relegated Livingston and their first-half tally of 36 points was 13 fewer than what they actually ended up with.
That suggests it could be worth siding with more goals to be scored in the second half, while this Bet Builder is completed by backing over 2 Falkirk goals given they did put five past Edinburgh earlier in the group stage.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
- Both teams have already been eliminated from the League Cup ahead of this final group fixture
- Falkirk finished sixth in last season's Scottish Premiership, their highest placing since 1995
- Stranraer ended 2025/26 fifth in Scottish League Two
- Falkirk are unbeaten in their last four meetings with Stranraer, registering three wins and three clean sheets
- Stranraer's last victory over Falkirk was a 1-0 success in the quarter-finals of the 2014/15 Scottish Challenge Cup
- John McGlynn has won 104 of his 189 matches since taking charge of Falkirk in May 2022
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
