St Mirren vs Dumbarton Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

St Mirren face Dumbarton in their fourth game of the Scottish League Cup group match. Despite being separated by two divisions, only a point separates the two sides, with St Mirren currently sitting in 2^nd place, just ahead of Dumbarton.

St Mirren have just been promoted back to the Scottish Premier League for the first time since their relegation back in 2015 and they enjoyed a comfortable promotion campaign, winning the league by eight points. Star players Lewis Morgan and Gavin Reilly shone the brightest, scoring a massive 40 goals between them in all competition.

However, the Saints lost both players to Celtic and Bristol Rovers respectively, and despite signing 22-year-old Jeff King and Cody Cooke- the latter coming through Jamie Vardy’s V9 Academy-, it will be difficult to replace them.

St Mirren’s form dipped slightly at the end of last season as they secured automatic promotion, and their inconsistency has followed them to the start of this new one. Having played only one pre-season friendly against Sunderland, which they lost 6-0, the Saints have drawn all three of their Scottish League Cup fixtures, winning the extra point on penalties in all of them. These results could be cause for concern for Alan Stubb’s side as they prepare for another season in the top flight.

Dumbarton’s situation is the complete opposite of St Mirren’s. After finishing 9^th in the Championship and suffering a painful loss in the 2^nd leg of the relegation play-offs final, the Sons have performed somewhat better than last season. Unlike St Mirren, Dumbarton have played two pre-season games, beating Cumbernauld Colts 3-2 and losing to Hearts 2-0. They’ve picked up 5 points in three League Cup group games, drawing and winning on penalties against Spartans FC, narrowly beating Queen’s Park 1-0 and bottling a 2-1 lead against group leaders Kilmarnock to end up 4-2.

This somewhat consistent form comes after a massive amount of movement from the players. Since the transfer window opened, 11 players have arrived at the club as 14 left it, so to have such stability in their competitive matches is impressive.

St Mirren will be eager to start scoring goals and winning matches before the league campaign begins, and even though Dumbarton’s form is slightly better, they won’t be a match for the Saints, but don’t expect to see many goals in the match. St Mirren have managed just two goals in their three League Cup matches so far, whilst Dumbarton have hit the back of the net three times in the same number of matches. This makes an under 2.5 goals bet look a good option, with a 2-0 scoreline being the best option.