Football Bet of the Day: Scottish League Cup kicks into gear

The group stage of the Scottish League Cup gets underway on Friday night as Edinburgh City host Partick Thistle at the Meadowbank Stadium (19:45 BST). It might feel a bit early for domestic football to return, but this is the relatively new format of the League Cup, which sees four group stage matches in July, before the last 16 takes place later in the season. 

Below you can find my Football Bet of the Day for Friday, July 11 which takes us north of the border.

Edinburgh City currently compete in the fourth tier of Scottish football and their first test of the season is a big one, as they welcome Scottish Championship outfit Partick Thistle to Meadowbank. 

The hosts finished third at the end of the last season, which meant they took part in the end-of-season play-offs. However, things didn’t go the Citizens’ way as they were beaten in the semi-finals by East Fife, losing 3-1 on aggregate after two legs of football. 

Edinburgh City vs Partick Thistle Odds

It means that they will once again be competing in the fourth tier of Scottish football in 2025/26, as they strive to get themselves promoted this term. However, they have only won three of their last eight fixtures, and it’s tough to see them competing with Partick Thistle. 

Partick were also involved in the promotion/relegation play-offs at the end of the season, as they battled it out for a spot in the big time, the Scottish Premiership. Having finished in fourth in the regular league season, they managed to get past Ayr United over two legs, despite finishing a position below them in the table. 

Today's Football Fixtures

That 2-1 aggregate win saw them into the semi-finals, but they were hammered 4-0 by Livingston, who eventually secured promotion. They should be able to compete at the top end of the table again this term, as they look to secure their spot back amongst the elite. 

Just from looking at how they finished the last season, this should be relatively straightforward for the visitors. Last term, Partick finished runners-up to Group G winners Motherwell in the League Cup by just one point - in stark contrast to Edinburgh City - who finished rock-bottom of their group having lost all four of their matches.

Only the eight group winners and three best runners-up progress to the second round, where they will be joined by the five Scottish Premiership clubs competing in European competitions - Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibernian and Dundee United.

Partick should be able to show their class and the two divisions in between the pair should become apparent on the pitch. I think Partick to win with a -1 handicap offers the best value for our Football Bet of the Day, and can be backed on Betfred at 9/5. 

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

Click here for the latest Football Odds

You can read all our latest Football Bet of the Day offerings at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.