The 3 teams wary of banana skins as Scottish football's return offers sobering reminder

Forty-eight days since the last ball was kicked in the domestic game, Scottish football returns on Saturday afternoon as the Premier Sports Cup begins.

Sixteen ties are on the card as the group stages of the newly-rebranded League Cup commences. It is the same format as last season: eight groups of five, with the winners and three of the best runners-up joining Scotland’s European participants in Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Kilmarnock and St Mirren in the last 16.

For Aberdeen and Hibs, the biggest fish in the Premier Sports Cup pool stage, this is a sobering reminder of how far they fell last season. Both teams were exempt from this stage of the competition due to their Europa League and Europa Conference League commitments. Their seventh and eighth-placed finishes respectively in the Premiership were hugely disappointing and both underachievers start the 2024/25 campaign with new managers at the helm.

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Aberdeen are in Group A alongside Queen of the South, Airdrieonians, Dumbarton and East Kilbride. Their boss Jimmy Thelin will get his first taste of Scottish football some 210 miles south of Pittodrie at Palmerston Park at 5.15pm on Saturday evening. The Doonhamers have their own fresh face in the dugout after Peter Murphy replaced Marvin Bartley and the Premier Sports cameras will be in attendance, no doubt sniffing a shock. Airdrieonians, under the exciting tutelage of Rhys McCabe, are probably the Dons' biggest threat to topping the table.

Hibs are in Group C and David Gray's spell as permanent head coach also begins far away from home, at Borough Briggs. Elgin City host the Hibees in a section that also contains Peterhead, Queen's Park and Kelty Hearts. Hibs have yet to concede a goal in pre-season and recently defeated Greek side PAOK in a friendly, with Gray immediately signing two new centre-halves in Warren O'Hora and Marvin Ekpiteta to address a problem area of the team last season. They are warm favourites to make it into the last 16.

Dundee are the highest-ranked team in the group stages by virtue of their sixth-placed finish last season in the top flight. Tony Docherty's side are in Midlothian to play Bonnyrigg Rose, who they took on at this stage last season. Group D also contains Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Arbroath and Annan Athletic.

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Across Sandeman Street, Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin will be keen to avoid a repeat of last year’s efforts. The Tangerines crashed out at this stage last season and had an embarrassing defeat by Spartans on opening weekend. Falkirk were also in that group and the duo do battle at the same venue once more. The Bairns won League One at a canter last season and will be contenders for the Championship. Group B is a tasty little section, given that United, Falkirk, Stenhousemuir and Buckie Thistle all won their respective leagues last season. Scott Brown’s Ayr United are the interlopers.

Relegated from the top flight, we will learn a lot about Livingston and how they have rebuilt under Davie Martindale. Forfar Athletic, Cove Rangers, Spartans and Dunfermline Athletic are their opponents in one of the more open sections of the draw. The Lions are at Station Park this afternoon.

New St Johnstone owner Adam Webb will be in attendance at Glebe Park as the new owner's era begins by the hedge. Brechin City is a long way from Atlanta, Georgia, where moneybags lawyer Webb hails from. The 53-year-old spoke well earlier this week about his plans for the Perth club. Progressing past the group stages would be a step in the right direction, given last season Steven MacLean's side completely flopped, losing to 4-0 to Stirling Albion and 2-1 to Ayr, both at home. Morton, Alloa and East Fife make up Group E.

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Motherwell won't have it all their own way in Group G given Partick Thistle, many people's tip to win the Championship, are in their section. They meet on the final matchday, and before then will look to take care of Clyde, Montrose and Edinburgh City.

And in Group H, Ross County and Raith Rovers reacquaint themselves. They played out that last domestic match back in late May, with the Staggies winning 4-0 (and 6-1 on aggregate) to retain their Premiership status. They don't meet today, though. That's for later. Raith are at Stirling Albion, while County have a 530-mile round trip to Stranraer. Hamilton Accies will also have a say in that pool.

Usually one of the top seeds bites the dust in the groups. These matches, although early, have the potential to set the tone for the season ahead.