There will be no Dundee derby in the League Cup group stage this year.
The SPFL have announced the seedings for this season’s competition, now branded the Premier Sports Cup.
Having missed out on European football by just one league position, Dundee are the top side in the group stage. They will be ball No 1 in the hat.
And the Dark Blues will be joined by city rivals Dundee United in pot one in Wednesday’s draw, meaning they can’t be drawn against one another.
The pair did meet in the group stage in 2017. A 1-1 draw and a penalty shootout bonus point at Dens Park earned the Dee top spot as the Tangerines went through in second spot.
And minutes after that result, the two sides were then drawn to face each other in the knockout stage, again at Dens Park. Paul McGowan scored the winner on a 2-1 victory that night.
No Fife derby
Fife foes Dunfermline and Raith Rovers will also be kept apart in the group stages after both were named as second seeds.
The rivals met in the first round last summer, when they fought out a 1-1 draw at Stark’s Park.
The Pars subsequently took the competition’s bonus point from the penalty shoot-out.
But it was the only success they had in the derby all season, with Raith going on to win four times in the league.
With another triumph in the Scottish Cup, the Kirkcaldy outfit won five consecutive games in the fixture for the first time in their history.
Dunfermline could face sworn enemies Falkirk, however, after the newly-promoted League One champions were placed in seeding pot three.
Kelty Hearts are also in pot three while East Fife are in pot four.
Angus
Recently-relegated Arbroath won’t face Angus rivals Montrose after they were both placed in pot 3.
However, either could face Forfar or Brechin City with those two in pot 5 alongside East Kilbride and Buckie Thistle.
When is the draw?
The draw will take place at 1pm on Wednesday and will be broadcast live on the SPFL YouTube channel.
The group stage gets under way on the weekend of July 13/14.
Seedings
Pot 1
1 Dundee
2 Aberdeen
3 Hibernian
4 Motherwell
5 St Johnstone
6 Ross County
7 Livingston
8 Dundee United
Pot 2
9 Raith Rovers
10 Partick Thistle
11 Airdrieonians
12 Greenock Morton
13 Dunfermline Athletic
14 Ayr United
15 Queen’s Park
16 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Pot 3
17 Arbroath
18 Falkirk
19 Hamilton Academical
20 Alloa Athletic
21 Montrose
22 Cove Rangers
23 Kelty Hearts
24 Queen of the South
Pot 4
25 Annan Athletic
26 Stirling Albion
27 Edinburgh City
28 Stenhousemuir
29 Peterhead
30 The Spartans
31 Dumbarton
32 East Fife
Pot 5
33 Forfar Athletic
34 Elgin City
35 Bonnyrigg Rose
36 Clyde
37 Stranraer
38 East Kilbride
39 Buckie Thistle
40 Brechin City
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