Seeds detailed for Betfred Cup

THE seedings for the Betfred League Cup first round have been announced ahead of Friday’s draw.

There will be eight groups comprising five clubs each with teams playing each other once, the Scottish Professional Football League confirmed.

There are eight top seeds and eight second seeds, with 24 unseeded teams.

Those clubs which will be drawn i nto f our ‘ north’ groups and four ‘ south’ groups, each containing a top seed, a second seed and three unseeded teams which brings the prospect of early Edinburgh and Dundee derbies.

Hearts are among the top seeds with Hibernian in pot two while Dundee are among the number one seeds with Dundee United in the second tier.

Group winners and the four best runners-up will progress to the knockout stage when Scotland’s European representatives — Celtic, Aberdeen, Rangers and St Johnstone — enter the competition.

There are 38 teams from the SPFL as well as and Lowland League winners East Kilbride and Highland League champions Buckie Thistle.

Drawn matches at the group stage go straight to a penalty shoot-out, in which case both sides take a point and the shoot-out winner receives a bonus point.

Top seeds North: Heart of Midlothian, Ross County, Dundee, Inverness.

Top seeds South: Partick Thistle, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Hamilton.

2nd seeds North: Hibernian, Falkirk, Dundee United, Dunfermline.

2nd seeds South: Morton, Queen of the South, St Mirren, Dumbarton.

Unseeded North: Raith Rovers, Alloa Athletic, Brechin City, East Fife, Peterhead, Arbroath, Forfar Athletic, Montrose Elgin C i t y, S t i r l i n g A l b i o n , Cowdenbeath, Buckie Thistle.

Unseeded South: Ayr United, Livingston, Airdrieonians, Queen’s Park, Stranraer, Albion Rovers, Stenhousemuir, Annan Athletic, Edinburgh City, Berwick Rangers, Clyde, East Kilbride.

The Betfred Cup.