- Home record: Ayr United have won three, drawn seven and lost five of their 15 home games in the Championship 2025-26.
- Away form: Arbroath have drawn one and lost one of their last two away games in the league.
- Head-to-head: The last five meetings between these sides have failed to produce an Arbroath victory (Ayr won two, drew three).
Ayr have misfired in last five games
Ayr United enter Saturday’s matchup with Arbroath on the back of their worst run of the season with no wins, two draws and three defeats in their last five matches. The Honest Men’s home record is also poor with no wins, one draw and two defeats in their last three at Somerset Park.
Manager John Rankin has injected a more urgent, high-pressing game into Ayr since his appointment in late March 2026, but it has yet to translate into a winning formula.
Ayr’s top scorer Mark McKenzie has netted 7 goals in 30 Championship matches and brings the occasional spark to the team, but will struggle to unlock Arbroath’s solid defense here.
Smiths are solid and well organised
Tactics and setup
Arbroath’s manager Colin Hamilton has managed the Red Lichties since September 2024 and is a pragmatic coach who sets his team up to be solid, organised and dangerous on the counter. Since his appointment in September 2024, Arbroath have become a tough team to play against, regularly sitting deep in a compact shape and then looking to hurt the opposition on the break.
Key player and recent form
Findlay Marshall is Arbroath’s major attacking threat with 11 goals in 32 Championship games and will be a threat on the transitions and from set pieces. The Smiths have won once, drawn two and lost two of their last five with back-to-back defeats to Greenock Morton and St Johnstone coming prior to this trip to Ayr.
Stalemate likely in Ayr
Ayr United are sixth in the Championship 2025-2026 with 36 points from 31 games while Arbroath are third on 47 from 32. Ayr have won only three of their 15 home league games in the Championship this season and Arbroath have only lost seven of their 16 road games in the same competition.
This fixture is typically a close encounter with both sides knowing each other well and neither having a strong reason to attack it as there are still many games to go in the season. Our play here is to take the odds for a draw at 3.2 as long as both teams score.
Ayr have scored 16 goals in their 15 home Championship games this season, so it is hard to see them unlocking Arbroath’s defense in front of their own fans on Saturday. Under 2.5 goals is another good price here at 1.7, but our selection in the BTTS market is both teams to score - yes - at 1.8.
- Ayr United are sixth in the Championship 2025-2026 with 36 points from 31 games while Arbroath are third on 47 from 32.
- Ayr have scored 16 goals in their 15 home Championship games this season, so it is hard to see them unlocking Arbroath’s defense in front of their own fans on Saturday.
- Under 2.5 goals is another good price here at 1.7, but our selection in the BTTS market is both teams to score - yes - at 1.8.
