There were joyous scenes when St Mirren got the better of Celtic in last season’s Scottish League Cup final and the Buddies are showing no signs of surrendering their grip on the trophy without a fight.
They have been in excellent form in the group stage of the competition, scoring four goals in each of their wins over Dumbarton, Cove Rangers and East Kilbride, and they will be confident that they can complete the set when they entertain Championship side Dunfermline on Sunday.
The Pars had their own trip to Hampden Park last season as they fell to Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, and they have got over an initial setback against East Kilbride to win their next two games, but this looks a difficult assignment against a team who are at the top of their game.
St Mirren v Dunfermline Athletic Tips Summary
Best Bet - St Mirren to win @ 4/6
Alternative Bet - Over 3.5 goals @ 5/4
Bet Builder - Both teams to score, Samuel Ramos to score at any time & over 1 first-half goals @ 13/2
St Mirren v Dunfermline Athletic Prediction
Best Bet: St Mirren to win @ 4/6
St Mirren’s League Cup victory over Celtic was one of the club’s greatest days and they have enjoyed their time back in the competition with goal-filled performances against Dumbarton, Cove Rangers and East Kilbride.
They were made to scrap in that final outing, but they are bubbling nicely with the start of the Scottish Premiership season just around the corner, and they are not expected to let up against Dunfermline Athletic.
Neil Lennon’s Pars missed the opportunity to get back to Scottish football’s top table last season and will be desperate to hit the ground running when the league season commences.
However, while they have confidently seen off Dumbarton and Cove, their shortcomings were exposed in their opening 3-0 loss to East Kilbride and this may prove a difficult examination against the holders.
Alternative Bet: Over 3.5 goals @ 5/4
Both of these teams have found their shooting boots before the start of the league campaign in Scotland and that should ensure we witness an entertaining encounter on Sunday.
Positivity will be key for Dunfermline and Neil Lennon’s team have demonstrated that they are not intent on taking things easy in this competition as they have scored nine goals in their last two outings.
St Mirren, meanwhile, have netted 12 times in three group-stage games and are showing no sign of letting up, so it would not be a surprise if these two managed to manufacture four successful strikes between them.
St Mirren v Dunfermline Athletic Bet Builder Tip
- Both teams to score
- Samuel Ramos to score at any time
- Over 1.5 first-half goals
Pays 13/2
Dunfermline have little option but to push forward if they are to take the leadership of the group so that should ensure there are goals at both ends, particularly as St Mirren were pushed all the way in their 4-3 win over East Kilbride last time out.
Both of these teams have been strong in the opening halves so far with Dunfermline scoring five times in their last two outings, so there looks a strong chance there could be a couple of strikes before half-time, while St Mirren’s Samuel Ramos looks one to watch.
He scored twice in the Buddies’ opening 4-0 win over Dumbarton and added another against Cove Rangers.
Ramos should also be fresh having played just the first half of the East Kilbride win.
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Key Match Stats
- St Mirren have scored four goals in each of their three League Cup group games this season
- The Buddies are unbeaten in their last seven competitive matches
- The Paisley outfit have kept four clean sheets in their last seven games
- Dunfermline Athletic’s last five outings have all featured at least three goals
- The Pars have won three of their last nine games
- St Mirren have won four of their last five encounters with Dunfermline
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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.
