It's a bit of a midfield war of attrition at Dens Park.

Dundee have had more possession, but neither they nor Livingston have been able to venture into the opposition penalty box.

Hamilton Accies are the first team off the mark, with Kyle MacDonald shooting them in front away to Kelty Hearts in League One.

An inauspicious start to Stuart Armstrong's first Aberdeen start as he passes the ball out for a Motherwell corner under no pressure at all.

Can you picture Davie Martindale in one of Pep's rollneck jumpers?

Anyhoo, enough of that... We are up and running at Dens Park.

A slight delay at Pittodrie, which seems to be related to the VAR monitor.

Livingston manager David Martindale reveals that Ryan McGowan, who has been replaced with fit-again Shane Blaney in defence, misses out through illness.

"We have Shane, who has lots of Premiership experience, so it made sense to bring him in," he tells BBC Scotland.

Mahamadou Susoho, the 20-year-old midfielder on loan from Manchester City, starts today - a long way from when he made his Champions League debut against Red Star Belgrade.

"He's got a few stories," Martindale admits. "I look the same as Pep [Guardiola), but that's about it."

Image source, SNS

Dundee head coach Steven Pressley has been talking about his "disappointment" that the appeal against Yan Dhanda's red card last weekend had failed.

"From an attacking perspective", he rates last week's draw as the best his side have played this season.

Cameron Congreve, who came on at half-time, was a major part of that and starts in place of Dhanda.

"A win today could propel us into the top half of the league and give us a boost - and we are aware of that. But it is going to be a big challenge."

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou tells BBC Scotland: "Some of the changes we make because we have to and some we make because we want to.

"We're trying to load manage everyone and we're trying to see how we finish off the game - it might go to 120 minutes and penalties.

"Hopefully a similar performance to what they have delivered so far in the league and cup. Hopefully we can score one more goal than the opposition which is what we have been lacking. It's been small actions that have stopped us being even more on top.

"I'm confident the players will create a bit of stormy weather for Aberdeen. They haven't had the best start in the league but it's a top team with good players. It's up to us to catch them on the back foot.

"We are in a good track, we have come a long way in a short time and I think the best is yet to come."

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin tells BBC Scotland: "Stuart [Armstrong] will help us to bring the ball closer to their box.

"Jens and Motherwell have done well. They play really narrow, so we have to be compact when we don't have the ball.

"We have to focus on the right things - hopefully we can take another step today and score the goal.

"Of course we want to go to Hampden again. We want to try to win and go through.

"You have to focus on the things you can control and your own performance. The rhythm of the team is getting better and better, but we have to do a little bit more to deserve the results."

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Stephen Craigan
Former Motherwell captain on BBC Sportsound

It's probably as strong as Jens Berthel Askou could be.

He's having to go deeper into his squad. They are good to watch, but there has to come a time where results are more important than how you play.

Motherwell are in a good place but need to put wins on the board.

Willie Miller
Former Scotland defender on BBC Sportsound

I don't see anything other than 100% effort from the Aberdeen players, but you need more than that.

They haven't shown calmness and composure in front of goal. This gives them an opportunity to give the fans a bit of hope going forward.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Scotland at Pittodrie

A crowd of between 12-13,000 is expected this afternoon, much lower than in recent times.

There are a number of reasons for that - poor form, a hectic fixture schedule, and perhaps a few members of the Red Army are saving some pennies for the three European away days.

The visitors can expect some serious backing - more than 1,000 Motherwell fans have made the trip north hoping to see their side book their place at Hampden.

Jens Berthel Askou and Jimmy Thelin have met before in Sweden, with the Motherwell boss ruining Thelin's Elfsborg farewell.

Askou, in charge of IFK Goteborg, took on Thelin's Elfsborg four games into his reign in 2023, drawing 1-1.

In October that year, Thelin - whose side were battling Malmo for the league crown - posted a 2-1 win in Gothenburg. However, Thelin's side failed to win their final two games, losing out on the title on goal difference.

The last time they met was in Thelin's goodbye game before his move to Aberdeen in June 2024, with Goteborg eking out a 1-0 win to send the Swede to Scotland on a sour note.

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Tyrone Smith
BBC Scotland at Pittodrie

The cup competitions have been Aberdeen’s salvation since the turn of the year.

Last season promised so much then threatened to fizzle out, only to end with the glory of a first Scottish Cup triumph since 1990.

A trip to Greenock looked tricky after the Dons opened this term with defeats to Hearts and Celtic, but Aberdeen were comfortable 3-0 winners against Morton in the previous round of this tournament.

Passage to the last four in the League Cup for the second season running would be a welcome boost for manager Jimmy Thelin.

Motherwell are also aiming for a swift return to Hampden in this competition and have been lauded for the attractive football they have been playing under Jens Berthel Askou, although that has not been translated into victories.

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Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland at Dens Park

Livingston manager David Martindale said in midweek he expects artificial intelligence to have more of an input into football in the coming years and, given today's opponents Dundee have won their last three meetings, AI no doubt would be predicting three points for the hosts.

There is a huge incentive for both teams this afternoon.

Three points will lift Livingston up to third place, while a first league win would take Dundee into the top half and ease some of the pressure on manager Steven Pressley.

Tawanda Maswanhise has four League Cup goals already, with a tally of seven for the season.

The Zimbabwe international was on target at Dens Park last weekend and should be brimming with confidence.

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Kevin Nisbet, back at Aberdeen on a permanent basis now, scored twice in a 4-1 win over Motherwell at the end of May.

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Livingston are winless in their past 20 away games in the Scottish Premiership (D5 L15).

Only one side has gone longer without a victory on the road in the top flight in the 21st century, with Ross County reaching 25 without winning from September 2023 to December 2024.

Dundee are one of four teams seeking a first Premiership victory.

Steven Pressley's side were much-improved in the second half as they hit back to draw with Motherwell last time out. They also put up a good fight at Ibrox, but there have been a few worryingly poor displays.

The Dark Blues won all three matches against Livingston when these two were last top flight rivals in 2023-24.

Motherwell have drawn five in a row in the Premiership.

It's six on the bounce after 90 minutes if we count the win at St Johnstone in the previous round of the cup, which was settled by an extra-time goal from Lukas Fadinger.

The Steelmen were sensational in the first half at Dundee last Saturday but lost their way a bit.

Can they deliver a complete performance today to reach the semis for the second season running?

The heat is building at Aberdeen after a poor start to the Premiership.

No wins, no goals in the league. Will things improve in the cup?

The Dons are unbeaten in their past five home games against Motherwell, winning four of those.