Who needs what in Premier Sports Cup?

2 hours ago 1

With one round of fixtures left in the Premier Sports Cup group stage, several Scottish Premiership sides are at risk of falling at the first hurdle.

There are 15 matches on Saturday before St Mirren host Dunfermline Athletic on Sunday.

The eight group winners and the three best second-place sides progress, joining Celtic, Rangers, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian and Motherwell - Scotland's five European representatives - in the last 16.

But who needs what from this weekend's games?

A draw against Kelty Hearts at Pittodrie would seal top spot for Aberdeen.

After Wednesday's emphatic victory over Queen of the South, manager Stephen Robinson praised their attacking thrust.

"We've won three games and we've created a lot of chances, that's the good thing," Robinson said. "Of course, there are things to improve on.

"We've brought in 10 new players, so it takes time, but you have to pick up results in this competition."

Should the Dons slip up in their final group match, Queen's Park could go above them with a win against Queen of the South. Three points could also be enough to progress in second place for the Spiders.

Dundee United top the group as it stands on nine points, but have played all four of their group matches.

Should Montrose draw or win against The Spartans, they will go above the Tannadice outfit, but Jim Goodwin's side would still likely progress as runners-up because of both their points tally and healthy goal difference.

Arbroath host Stirling Albion with neither club able to qualify.

St Mirren and Dunfermline are the only two teams able to progress and they go head-to-head on Sunday.

The Pars must win by three goals to move above the Paisley outfit into top spot, but could still go through as runners-up with a lesser margin of victory.

For St Mirren it is simple - draw or win and they are definitely through.

Group leaders Ross County know a win over Airdrieonians will mean they are unsurpassable, regardless of what Dundee do against Clyde.

Although Dundee's hopes of topping the group are out of their hands, Steven Pressley's side will progress on 10 points should they beat Clyde, even if they are behind the Dingwall side.

Clyde could still top the group, should they beat Dundee and County fail to win in Airdrie.

Partick Thistle, who finished on nine points and a plus-10 goal difference, will likely progress even though either Stenhousemuir and Livingston - who play each other on Saturday - would go above the Jags with a win.

Thistle will progress unless they finish second and both Aberdeen and Queen's Park record huge wins.

St Johnstone must beat League 1 East Fife to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.

Defeat by Inverness Caledonian Thistle in midweek left Saints third in the group, one point behind Saturday's opponents and two adrift of the Highland side.

A win for East Fife would ensure their progress, as would a victory for Inverness against bottom side Greenock Morton.

Saints boss Simo Valakari believes the pressure of needing victory could help sharpen his side's focus.

"I said before Tuesday night that in this competition there's not much room for error," he said. "We lost the game and now it's almost out of our hands.

"The only thing we can do is go and win. We have to take ownership of our own situation.

"When you look back at Tuesday's match, there are no ifs or buts. It wasn't us. Sometimes it's easier to accept that we were just so poor on the night and didn't deserve anything.

"But that's the beauty of football. There's a new game tomorrow and a chance to put everything right."

Ayr United have already won the group and sealed their spot in the last 16.

They host Alloa Athletic and will be seeded in the next round if they win.

No-one else is able to progress, meaning top-flight Falkirk's match against Stranraer is essentially a pre-season friendly.