Holders St Mirren visit Rangers in League Cup last 16

What the report says

BBC Sport Football reports that defending Premier Sports Cup champions St Mirren have been drawn away to Rangers in the last 16. The tie is one of several notable fixtures in the second round, which the BBC says will be played over the weekend of 15/16 August. St Mirren entered the draw as holders after defeating Celtic in last season’s final, according to the report.

The draw also sends Scottish champions Celtic, last season’s beaten finalists, to Dundee United. Aberdeen will host Dundee in another all-Premiership match, while Kilmarnock face Ayr United in an Ayrshire derby. Other ties are Heart of Midlothian v Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hibernian v Partick Thistle, Stenhousemuir v Motherwell, and Dunfermline Athletic v Ross County.

Dunfermline were the final club to reach the last 16, with the BBC reporting that a late Chris Kane penalty away to St Mirren secured qualification as one of the three best runners-up. That result still left St Mirren top of their group on goal difference, but the defeat meant they were not seeded for Sunday’s draw.

BBC Sport quoted frustration from manager Craig McLeish over missing the chance to secure seeding, while Dunfermline head coach Neil Lennon welcomed a home tie but warned that Ross County should not be underestimated. The draw matters because it sets up early knockout tests for several leading Scottish clubs and guarantees that at least one side from outside the Premiership will reach the quarter-finals.