Tight Fir Park tie, Tait goals & Thelin chance

It is mid-September, so it must be Scottish League Cup quarter-final time, but if you are looking for shocks, you might be disappointed this time.

The draw for what is currently called the Premier Sports Cup was kind on the Premiership's three form teams - handing Aberdeen, Celtic and Rangers home ties - and harsh on lower league survivors Falkirk and Spartans.

Here are some of the things to look out for in four ties spread over three days.

The one all-Premiership tie - and probably the least predictable - takes Dundee United to Motherwell on Friday evening in a meeting of two clubs looking to end a decades-long League Cup drought.

United have not lifted the League Cup since beating city rivals Dundee in the 1980 final, while Motherwell's wait is even longer, having last won the trophy back in 1950, when they defeated Hibernian.

Indeed, neither side have gone beyond the quarter-finals since they last progressed to the final.

Motherwell defeated Aberdeen 3-0 seven years ago, before knocking out Rangers in the semi-finals and falling short in their bid for an Old Firm double against Celtic.

Two years earlier, United beat Hibernian on penalties after a 3-3 draw, overcame Aberdeen in the last four but also lost to Celtic in the final.

Celtic were also Well's nemesis when the Lanarkshire side and United last reached the quarter-finals two years ago, the Glasgow visitors easing to a 4-0 win while the Tangerines were losing 2-1 in Kilmarnock.

The current sides go into Friday's quarter-final looking to recover from top-flight defeats that ended three-game winning runs.

Stuart Kettlewell's hosts fell 2-1 away to Aberdeen, while Jim Goodwin's United had their impressive eight-game unbeaten sequence brought to an end by Rangers' single-goal win at Tannadice.

Recent meetings are also no guide to Friday's outcome considering United have spent a season winning the Championship since losing 3-2 at Fir Park in their last meeting - with United having won there a month previously.

Their knock-out meetings tend to be tight affairs too, with United winning 2-1 at Fir Park in the Scottish Cup fourth round in November 2014, while Alan Gow's goal was enough to take hosts Motherwell through to the League Cup semi-finals in October 2010.

Another close game is in prospect under the Fir Park lights.

There were high hopes for Dylan Tait when Hibs bought the midfielder, then aged 19, before loaning him back to Raith Rovers in August 2021.

But he would only make one appearance for the Premiership club and, after further loans to Kilmarnock, Arbroath, Hamilton Academical and Falkirk, he joined the latter on a permanent transfer this summer after helping them win League 1 and promotion.

Tait's top-flight dream having been dashed for now, he has eked out revenge on two Premiership sides already this season.

He scored in 2-0 group-stage defeat of Dundee United and again as Falkirk knocked out Heart of Midlothian in the last 16.

His four goals in 11 games this term are already one more than he has achieved in any full season and a repeat performance on Sunday would raise his profile further.

However, the chances of a third Premiership scalp in a row are reduced by being drawn away to Scottish champions who lead the top-flight again after five straight wins and who are fresh from thrashing Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Indeed, Falkirk have not beaten Celtic in 12 meetings since a 1-0 home league win in 2007, losing their latest League Cup meeting 3-1 in the 2012 semi-final then 3-0 in the Scottish Cup third round three years ago.

However, the Bairns won - on penalties after a 1-1 draw - the last time the sides met at this stage in the League Cup, in November 2006.

Apart from losing a penalty shootout derby away to Stenhousemuir in the SPFL Trust Trophy, Tait and Falkirk have won eight of their past nine outings, lead the Championship and will travel to Glasgow determined for a repeat - and to prove their Premiership credentials.

It would be one of the biggest shocks in Scottish League Cup history if Aberdeen were not to extend their 10-game winning run since Jimmy Thelin took charge at the start of the season.

People will point to the very same Dons' dismal Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Darvel - a side from Scotland sixth tier - in early 2023.

And, yes, Spartans are two tiers higher and have already accounted for one Premiership side this season, as well as a Livingston team who were in the top division last season, to secure a first ever national cup quarter-final.

But this is a different Aberdeen, this time the minnows are having to travel to Pittodrie and part-time Spartans have only won once in five outings since knocking out Ross County.

Peter Leven steadied the Dons ship in his second spell as caretaker last season after Neil Warnock's ill-fated short spell in charge, but Thelin has transformed their fortunes since.

It has Reds fans dreaming of going one better than last year's 1-0 defeat by Rangers in the final and lifting the trophy for the first time since edging Inverness Caledonian Thistle on penalties in 2014.

The 46-year-old Swede has himself only so far notched one trophy success - leading Jonkopings Sodra to the second-tier Superettan title a year later before finishing runner-up in the top flight twice with Elfsborg.

While his rebuilt current side are only being kept off the top of the Premiership by Celtic on goal difference, Thelin has warned supporters not to get "carried away" by thoughts of winning the league title and will realise the cup is always the best chance for non-Old Firm clubs to win silverware.