Livingston vs St Johnstone: Lions and Saints shoot for League Cup glory in Sunday's final

Livingston vs St Johnstone
Sunday, 14:00
Live on Sky Sports

Rare occurrence in Scottish football

Sunday brings the 75th final of the Scottish League Cup and it's a rare occurrence as neither half of the Old Firm divide will be present. Livingston take on St Johnstone at Hampden in what has been billed as a 50/50 match and great chance for the teams to get their name on the silverware.

This will be the first time since 2016 neither Celtic or Rangers contest the final, only the second time Livi have made the last two and the third appearance for the team from Perth. Neither the Lions or the Saints will have a better chance to lift the trophy but which team will grasp the thistle?

Lions see off St Mirren

Livingston won the League Cup in 2004 when beating Hibs 2-0 in the final. They have been impressive during this season's renewal, beating a stubborn St Mirren in the semi-final at the national stadium last month. Scott Robinson found the net with a close range header on 10 minutes and that was enough to send his team into the final.

In the Scottish Premiership, inexperienced manager David Martindale has his men knocking on the door of a European finish. They are pushing for the top-four and a place in next season's Europa League but there's still a long way to go. A 1-1 draw in Paisley last Saturday means Livi are winless in three, their most recent league win coming against Aberdeen on 2 February at Pittodrie.

Saints hammer Hibs

St Johnstone were the most impressive side in the previous round of this competition, upsetting the odds to hammer Hibs 3-0. That scoreline made a mockery of what had been billed as a tough match, but it was nothing more than the victors deserved. Saints took the lead on 35 minutes when Jason Kerr rose above the Hibs defence to bullet home a header. They doubled their advantage early in the second half thanks to a strike from Shaun Rooney before Craig Conway put the tie to bed.

Despite their cup heroics St Johnstone are stuck in midtable and in danger of falling out of contention for a top-six finish. A lack of consistency has hampered the team's progress, but they have won three of their last five, losing the other two. Callum Davidson's team were last seen beating Motherwell 3-0 at Fir Park.

Livingston hold a slight advantage

The stats show Livingston and St Johnstone have met five times previously in this competition. The head-to-head stats show a slight advantage for the Lions who have two wins against the one of Saints and a draw.

A competitive contest is expected by Betfair Sportsbook traders and the current match betting available has Livingston trading at 8/5 to win with St Johnstone 17/10 and the draw 21/10. To lift the trophy has Livingston at 8/11 and St Johnstone evens which covers extra-time and penalties.

Competitive final on the cards

These teams have already met three times this season with each of the last two games producing a 2-1 final score. Both teams to score again here is 9/10 and that's sure to be popular with bettors in what's expected to be a hard-fought final.

It's also worth noting these teams haven't produced a draw since August 2019 when ending 2019. That was six games ago. Saints beat Livi 2-1 in a Premiership match earlier this month and following an impressive win in the semi-final, they're backed to win in 90 minutes.