Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland at Pittodrie

Life after Bojan Miovski begins for Aberdeen after their free-scoring, talismanic striker departed in a big-money move to Spanish club Girona on Thursday.

The Dons have fared pretty well without him in their team so far this season and Jimmy Thelin boasts an unblemished competitive record since taking charge, winning all six of his games.

Queen’s Park banged in 15 goals in the group stage of the competition, but they have yet to win in the Championship this season and head coach Callum Davidson will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the last time they face Premiership opposition, when they suffered a 5-1 thumping from Hibs.

Spartans' surprise progress to the League Cup last 16 means their game against leaders Elgin City is postponed, leaving four matches in the fourth tier.

Peterhead, second on goal difference, have the chance to go clear at the top when they entertain Stranraer, while there is a local derby with a difference as Edinburgh City entertain Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic with both sides seeking their first point of the season.

• Clyde v Stirling Albion
• East Fife v Forfar Athletic
• Edinburgh City v Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic
• Peterhead v Stranraer

There's only one change to the Dundee starting XI, with Trevor Carson replacing Jon McCracken in goal.

Sam Graham, the 24-year-old defender who left National League outfit Fylde this summer, could make his debut off the bench.

Airdrieonians player/manager Rhys McCabe starts himself in one of six changes.

On loan Rangers goalkeeper Kieran Wright replaces Murray Johnson, who is on loan from Hibernian and on the bench. McCabe is likley start in defence along with Cameron Bruce, while Terrell Agyemang, Adam Frizzell and Gavin Gallagher come into midfield.

Craig Watson, Rhys Armstrong, Chris Mochrie, Lewis McGrattan drop to the bench, but there is no place for Aidan Wilson.

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Spartans manager Dougie Samuel makes one change to his side following last Saturday’s 2-0 home victory over Bonnyrigg Rose, with centre-back Paul Watson replacing veteran winger Danny Denholm.

New recruit Jacques Heraghty starts in goal ahead of Blair Carswell - who carries a slight knock - after keeping a clean sheet last week as a trialist. Club captain Kevin Waugh remains out through injury.

County boss Don Cowie opts to rotate, making five changes from last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Dundee United.

James Brown, Ryan Leak, Victor Loturi, Noah Chilvers and Jordan White all come in from the start. Jack Grieves and Eamonn Brophy drop to the bench, while Scott Allardice, Akil Wright and Michee Efete miss out entirely.

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There's a familiar face on the Queen's Park bench, with former Aberdeen midfielder Barry Nicholson back at Pittodrie as the Championship side's assistant head coach.

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Dundee: Carson, Ingram, McGhee, Portales, Larkeche, McCowan, Sylla, Cameron, Tiffoney, Murray, Palmer-Houlden.

Substitutes: McCracken, Sharp, Astley, Main, F Robertson, Graham, Lochhead.

Airdrieonians: Wright, Aiken, D MacDonald, Bruce, Hancock, Agyemang, McCabe, McMaster, Frizzell, Gallagher, B Wilson.

Substitutes: Johnson, Reid, Watson, McGrattan, Cooper, Mochrie, Taylor-Sinclair, Armstrong.

It's just the one change for Aberdeen from the 3-1 win over St Mirren last weekend. Slobodan Rubezic drops out through suspension, with Jack Milne coming in to defence for his first appearance of the season.

Finnish winger Topi Keskinen, previously of HJK Helsinki, and Croatian midfielder Ante Palaversa, who signed from Troyes, could make their debuts from the bench.

Callum Davidson makes just one change to Queen's Park side that drew 1-1 with Livingston in the Championship.

Former Inverness Caledonian Thistle defender Nikola Ujdur comes in to make a second start since signing in the summer, with Roddy MacGregor dropping to the bench.

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Remember, there's also a full card in the third tier.

Game of the day is in Dumfries, where third-top Queen of the South host Annan Athletic, the only side to have won both their games so far, in a local derby.

• Alloa Athletic v Stenhousemuir
• Arbroath v Kelty Hearts
• Cove Rangers v Dumbarton
• Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Montrose
• Queen of the South v Annan Athletic

The Spartans: Heraghty, K Watson, P Watson, Sonkur, Booth, Dishington, Craigen, Hunter, Whyte, Russell, Henderson.

Substitutes: Carswell, Inglis, Scott, Denholm, Lamont, Wylie, Walls, Scott, Whittaker.

Ross County: Laidlaw, Brown, Nightingale, Leak, Harmon, Randall, Denholm, Loturi, Chilvers, Hale, White.

Substitutes: Ross, Grieves, Telfer, Samuel, Brophy, MacLeod, Robesten, Reid.

Aberdeen: Mitov, Devlin, Milne, Molloy, MacKenzie, Morris, Heltne Nilsen, Shinnie, McGrath, Sokler, Gueye.

Substitutes: Doohan, Jensen, McGarry, Besuijen, Palaversa, MacDonald, Ambrose, Bavidge, Keskinen.

Queen's Park: Ferrie, Kerr, Murray, Ujdur, Scott, Welsh, Turner, Thomson, Thomas, Rudden, Longridge.

Substitutes: Wills, MacGregor, McLeish, Hinds, Connolly, McDonnell, MacKenzie, McGinlay, Fieldson.

Falkirk make just one change, with Ethan Ross replacing suspended in-form winger Callumn Morrison for John McGlynn's side.

But it's a much-changed Hearts team following last week's 3-1 loss at Dens Park. Eight alterations in all but no sign of new left-back signing Andres Salazar.

Craig Gordon replaces Zander Clark in goal and captains the side in Lawrence Shankland's absence.

Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley form a new central defensive partnership, Malachi Boateng, Blair Spittal and Yan Dhanda are the new trio in midfield and Yutaro Oda and Liam Boyce join the attack.

Daniel Oyegoke, Kye Rowles, Cammy Devlin, Jorge Grant, Barrie McKay and Shankland drop to the bench, while Frankie Kent misses out.

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Falkirk: Hogarth, Mackie, Donaldson, Henderson, Adams, Spencer, Oliver, Ross, Tait, Miller MacIver.

Substitutes: Hayward, Yeats, McCann, Agyeman, Shanley, Sinclair, McCafferty, McCrone.

Heart of Midlothian: Gordon, Taylor, Halkett, Kingsley, Penrice, Spittal, Boateng, Dhanda, Oda, Boyce, Vargas.

Substitutes: Clark, Oygoke, Grant, Shankland, McKay, Devlin, Rowles, Forrest, Musa.

With Airdrieonians, Falkirk and Queen's Park having qualified from the League Cup group stage, it means there is only one game left in the Scottish Championship today.

In-form table-toppers Ayr United, who have scored seven goals without conceding, will be strong favourites to record a third straight victory as they entertain troubled Hamilton Academical, who have yet to win since promotion.

Before we get into that all-important team news, here's your reminder of today's League Cup games, with the first four kicking off at 15:00 BST, while holders Rangers host St Johnstone after those are finished.

• Aberdeen v Queen's Park
• Dundee v Airdrieonians
• Falkirk v Heart of Midlothian
• Spartans v Ross County
• Rangers v St Johnstone (17:45)

Remember you are capable of doing more than one thing at once, so while reading here you can be listening to Sportsound's coverage, which has just started on BBC Radio Scotland and online.

Click the wee button at the top of this page to listen to the musings of Richard Foster and former Scotland players John Robertson, Willie Miller, Neil McCann and Leanne Crichton as they join presenter Kenny Macintyre.

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Domestic cup fever returns after a couple of low blows - and one high - in midweek European competition for Scottish clubs.

It's that time of year again when the five Euro representatives join the group-stage qualifiers in the last 16 of the Scottish League Cup.

There's five games today - and three tomorrow - and we have them all covered here, so stay with us for the build-up, live commentaries and post-match reaction.

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